Related papers: Mass functions and structure of the young open clu…
We derive the structure, distribution of MS and PMS stars and dynamical state of the young open cluster NGC 4755. We explore the possibility that, at the cluster age, some MS and PMS stars still present infrared excesses related to dust…
The young cluster NGC 6231 (stellar ages ~2-7 Myr) is observed shortly after star-formation activity has ceased. Using the catalog of 2148 probable cluster members obtained from Chandra, VVV, and optical surveys (Paper I), we examine the…
We investigate the nature of 4 young and low-mass open clusters (OCs) located in the $2^{nd}$ and $3^{rd}$ quadrants with near-IR 2MASS photometry (errors $<0.1$ mag). After field decontamination, the colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs)…
We review the complications involved in the conversion of stellar luminosities into masses and apply a range of mass-to-luminosity relations to our Hubble Space Telescope observations of the young LMC star clusters NGC 1805 and NGC 1818.…
Located at the tip of the wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), the star-forming region NGC602/N90 is characterized by the HII nebular ring N90 and the young cluster of pre--main-sequence (PMS) and early-type main sequence stars NGC602.…
We present astrometry and $BVI$ photometry, down to $V\simeq22$, of the very young open cluster NGC6530, obtained from observations taken with the Wide Field Imager camera at the MPG/ESO 2.2 m Telescope. Both the $V$ vs. $B-V$ and the $V$…
Luminosity and mass functions in the old open cluster NGC 188 are analysed by means of J and H 2MASS photometry. Within the uncertainties, the observed projected radial density profile of NGC 188 departs from the two-parameter King model in…
The very young open cluster (OC) NGC 2244 in the Rosette Nebula was studied with field-star-decontaminated 2MASS photometry, which shows the main-sequence (MS) stars and an abundant pre-MS (PMS) population. Fundamental and structural…
We use the ages, masses and metallicities of the rich young star cluster systems in the nearby starburst galaxies NGC 3310 and NGC 6745 to derive their cluster formation histories and subsequent evolution. We further expand our analysis of…
We have performed new wide-field photometry of the young open cluster NGC 6231 to study the shape of the initial mass function (IMF) and mass segregation. We also investigated the reddening law toward NGC 6231 from optical to mid-infrared…
Deep and extensive CCD photometric observations $UBV(RI)_{C}H_{\alpha}$ were carried out in the area of the open cluster NGC 3293. The new data set allows to see the entire cluster sequence down to $M_{V} \approx +4.5$, revealing that stars…
In the third part of our photometric study of the star-forming region NGC 346/N~66 and its surrounding field in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC), we focus on the large number of low-mass pre-main sequence (PMS) stars revealed by the Hubble…
We have studied the properties of the stellar populations in the field of the NGC 346 cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud, using the results of a novel self-consistent method that provides a reliable identification of pre-main sequence…
We identified star clusters in archived HST/WFPC2 images of the merger and ultra-luminous infrared galaxy NGC 6240, with the aim of investigating whether star cluster properties (luminosity, age and mass) in such an extreme environment…
We present the results of a 0.86 square degree CCD photometric survey of the open cluster NGC 2516, which has an age of about 150 Myr and may have a much lower metallicity than the similarly-aged Pleiades. We select a preliminary catalogue…
Open clusters belonging to star-forming complexes are the leftovers from the initial stellar generations. The study of these young systems provides constraints to models of star formation and evolution as well as to the properties of the…
We studied the properties of the young stellar populations in the NGC 299 cluster in the Small Magellanic Cloud using observations obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope in the $V, I$, and $H\alpha$ bands. We identified 250 stars with…
Images obtained with the Gemini Multi-Object Spectrograph on Gemini South are used to examine the photometric properties and spatial distributions of main sequence (MS) and pre-main sequence (PMS) objects in the star cluster NGC 2401. The…
Mechanisms involved in the star formation process and in particular the duration of the different phases of the cloud contraction are not yet fully understood. Photometric data alone suggest that objects coexist in the young cluster NGC6530…
An overall analysis of the structure and stellar content of M11 is presented, thanks to the wide-angle 2MASS spatial coverage. We derive photometric and structural parameters and discuss the spatial dependance of the luminosity and mass…