Overlapping binary and multiple open cluster candidates in the Galaxy

TL;DR

This study analyzes the magnitude distributions of open clusters in the Galaxy to identify potential overlapping binary and multiple cluster candidates based on their star distribution peaks.

Contribution

It introduces a method to detect overlapping clusters by analyzing their star magnitude distributions and compiles a catalog of 70 candidate overlapping clusters in the Galaxy.

Findings

Identified 70 clusters with multiple peaks in magnitude distributions.

Developed a catalog of potential overlapping binary and multiple clusters.

Provided estimates of centers and member counts for candidate clusters.

Abstract

A few binary open clusters with visually separable components are known in the Galaxy. However there can be dual systems that overlap in the line of sight and are seen as a single cluster. On the basis of the WEBDA database we studied the V-band magnitude distributions of stars of the open clusters in the Galaxy. Most of these distributions showed Gaussian-like shape with a single peak, but some of them demonstrated two and more peaks which we considered as a manifestation of duality or multiplicity of the object. We examined the magnitude distributions of 563 rich open clusters from the WEBDA database with more than 100 stars and revealed 70 of them with two and more statistically significant peaks which we considered as binary and multiple cluster candidates. On the basis of these clusters we comprised a catalogue of possible binary and multiple clusters in the Galaxy overlapping in the line of sight. Geometric centres of cluster components and corresponding numbers of cluster members were estimated.