NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2003B-0038
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2003B-0038 |
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PI: Randy L. Phelps, California State University, Sacramento, phelps@csus.edu
Address: Physics Department, 6000 J Street, Sacramento, CA 95819-6041, USA
Title: CCD Photometry of the Oldest(?) Open Cluster, Be 17
Abstract:
Faint-magnitude, UBVI photometry of the old open cluster, Berkeley
17 (Be 17) is proposed, using the KPNO 4-meter MOSAIC CCD camera.
Recent photometric studies have reveal Be 17 to be perhaps the oldest
open cluster known in the Milky Way, making it an important object for
constraining the age of the Galactic disk, as well as for studying its
star forming history. Deep multicolor photometry of the Be 17 main
sequence will allow for reliable distance and reddening estimates of
this crucial cluster to be made which, when combined with spectroscopic
and proper motion studies underway by other investigators, will allow
for a significant improvement in the age estimate for this important
cluster. The deep photometry will also allow for an investigation of
the cluster mass function of perhaps the oldest open cluster, thereby
adding to our understanding of the dynamical evolution of stellar
systems.
The broader scientific impact of this investigation is a better
understanding of the timescales for disk formation for galaxies in
general. The broader impact to society is the inclusion of non-research
universities in scientific discoveries, and the involvement of
underserved students in research.
National Optical Astronomy Observatory, 950 North Cherry Avenue, P.O. Box 26732, Tucson, Arizona 85726, Phone: (520) 318-8000, Fax: (520) 318-8360
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NOAO > Observing Info > Approved Programs > 2003B-0038 |
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