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Session 3 - Clusters.
Display session, Monday, June 10
Tripp Commons,
The nearby and young open cluster NGC 2451 in Puppis has been a subject of debate and confusion for decades. Even its very existence seems to be in question, not to mention the basic parameters. We present new results from the proper motion study, CCD BV photometry and speckle imaging. We have definitely found the cluster NGC 2451-A which Roeser amp; Bastian (1994, Aamp;A, 285, 875) identify as a moving group. The cluster has a well-defined main sequence down to the survey limit of V=14 mag and is located at the distance of 190 pc. Surprisingly, at the distance of about 400 pc there is another cluster, NGC 2451-B, as it was suspected by Roeser amp; Bastian. Both clusters are sparsely populated and are apparently younger than the Pleiades. The age estimate critically depends upon the identification of binaries. The search for visual binaries among the bright stars using the speckle interferometry technique has resulted in the discovery of a new binary in NGC 2451-A having a separation of about \rho=0\farcs13. A late-star rotational study via optical monitoring is under way.
