Open AccessA comprehensive CCD photometric study of the open cluster NGC 2421
Author(s) -
Yadav R. K. S.,
Sagar Ram
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2966.2004.07814.x
Subject(s) - physics , astrophysics , metallicity , photometry (optics) , open cluster , cluster (spacecraft) , extinction (optical mineralogy) , radius , diagram , star cluster , stellar density , stellar mass , astronomy , star formation , stars , statistics , computer security , mathematics , computer science , optics , programming language
We present the UBVRI CCD photometry in the region of the open cluster NGC 2421. The radius of the cluster is determined as ∼3.0 arcmin using a stellar density profile. Our study indicates that the metallicity of the cluster is Z ∼ 0.004 . The reddening E ( B − V ) = 0.42 ± 0.05 mag is determined using a two colour ( U − B ) versus ( B − V ) diagram. By combining the 2MASS JHK data with the optical data, we determined that E ( J − K ) = 0.20 ± 0.20 mag and E ( V − K ) = 1.15 ± 0.20 mag for this cluster. Colour‐excess diagrams show a normal interstellar extinction law in the direction of the cluster. We determined that the distance of the cluster is 2.2 ± 0.2 kpc by comparing the zero‐age main sequence with the intrinsic colour–magnitude diagram of the cluster. The age of the cluster has been estimated as 80 ± 20 Myr using the stellar isochrones of metallicity Z = 0.004 . The mass function slope x = 1.2 ± 0.3 has been derived by applying the corrections of field star contamination and data incompleteness. Our analyses indicate that the cluster NGC 2421 is dynamically relaxed.