SCYON Abstract
Received on March 7 2005
Whiting 1: a new Halo Young Globular Cluster
| Authors | Giovanni Carraro |
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| Affiliation |
Universidad de Chile |
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| Accepted by | Astrophysical Journal |
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| Contact | gcarraro@das.uchile.cl |
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Abstract
We report on BVI CCD photometry of a field centered in the region of the Galactic star cluster Whiting 1 down to V=23.0.
This cluster has never been studied insofar, and we provide for the first time estimates of its fundamental parameters,
namely, radial extent, age, distance and reddening. Whiting 1 turns out to be a compact star cluster with a diameter of
about 1'. We find that the cluster is about 5 Gyr old and has a probable metal abundance around [Fe/H]=-1.20.
Its position at b=-60°.64 and at a heliocentric distance of about 45 kpc makes the cluster a rather strange object,
surely not a disk old open cluster, but perhaps the youngest halo Globular Cluster insofar known.