Selecting High-Precision Photometry on Uniform Zero Points for Five Benchmark Galactic Clusters

TL;DR

This paper reviews the process of establishing high-precision, uniform zero points for photometry across five benchmark galactic clusters, addressing previous criticisms and proposing future applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive review of zero point calibration results for multiple photometric systems on five key clusters, and discusses implications for future research.

Findings

Photometry zero points are accurate to a few millimagnitudes.

Responses to criticisms support the reliability of the photometry.

Recommendations for future data use are provided.

Abstract

This paper reviews results from two projects designed to yield photometry on uniform zero points for five clusters--Coma, the Hyades, M67, NGC 752, and Praesepe. Contributing papers for a project on Cousins VRI photometry and a project on Stromgren-beta photometry are listed. Results of zero point tests of the photometry are reviewed, and their character is found to be satisfactory at the level of a few mmag. Responses to extant criticisms of the photometry are offered, and a section on B-V photometry for the five clusters is included. Because the results of the projects suggest that certain changes should be made in current perspectives on photometry, those changes are reviewed. Finally, suggestions are made about future uses of data from the projects.