Parameter Determination for Old Open Cluster NGC 188
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47611/jsrhs.v10i4.2436Keywords:
Stars, Space, Star Cluster, Open Cluster, Metallicity, Age, Distance, MassAbstract
NGC 188, one of the oldest open clusters in the Milky Way, provides a unique insight into the history of the universe. NGC 188 has been historically used as a reliable test subject for various methods of determining data about star clusters. Because of its importance in the field of astronomical study and due to its unique age, this paper serves to independently verify the data found by previous research and to determine the age, metallicity, distance, and mass of open cluster NGC 188. Methods involved color magnitude diagram creation, isochrone fitting, and mass determination using the virial theorem. This research verifies that NGC 188 has an age of 6 billion years, a metallicity of 0.2 [Fe/H], a distance of 1348 parsecs, and a mass of 1392 solar masses.
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Copyright (c) 2021 Abigail Bohl; Mark Brooks Hedstrom
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