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[64.06] The Nature of the "C Clusters" of M31: An HST View

P.W. Hodge (University of Washington)

Identifying small, open clusters in other galaxies is difficult from the ground. Even within the outer parts of the Local Group, the task requires excellent seeing and deep exposures. The first attempt to catalog M31's open clusters was made in 1979, using photographic plates taken with the Kitt Peak Observatory 4-m telescope. A total of 403 cluster candidates, subsequently referred to as "C clusters", was identified, all thought to be young, blue objects. Using archival WFPC2 HST images, we have examined all objects located on the available pointings and have found that a significant fraction of the ground-based "clusters" are actually other things, including small OB associations and asterisms. The poster will compare images of clusters and non-clusters as seen from HST and from the ground.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 36 5
© 2004. The American Astronomical Society.