Heterogeneity of the Population of Open Star Clusters in the Galaxy

TL;DR

This study compiles a comprehensive catalogue of 593 open star clusters in the Galaxy, analyzing their physical, chemical, and kinematic properties to reveal the heterogeneity of their population.

Contribution

The paper provides the first extensive catalogue with detailed parameters for a large sample of open clusters, highlighting their diverse properties and differences from field stars.

Findings

Open clusters show significant heterogeneity in properties.

Chemical and kinematic differences between clusters and field stars.

The catalogue enables better understanding of Galactic structure.

Abstract

Based on published data, we have compiled a catalogue of fundamental astrophysical parameters for 593 open clusters of the Galaxy. In particular, the catalogue provides the Galactic orbital elements for 500 clusters, the masses, central concentrations, and ellipticities for 424 clusters, the metallicities for 264 clusters, and the relative magnesium abundances for 56 clusters. We describe the sources of initial data and estimate the errors in the investigated parameters. The selection effects are discussed. The chemical and kinematical properties of the open clusters and field thin-disk stars are shown to differ. We provide evidence for the heterogeneity of the population of open clusters.