Dynamical Analysis of Nearby ClustErs. Automated astrometry from the ground: precision proper motions over wide field

TL;DR

This paper presents a method for deriving precise proper motions from multi-epoch wide-field images, enabling detailed kinematic studies of nearby stellar associations, demonstrated on the Pleiades cluster.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach to measure accurate proper motions over large fields using multi-epoch data, producing a comprehensive catalog with high precision for millions of sources.

Findings

Proper motion accuracy reaches <1 mas/yr for faint sources.

A catalog of over 6 billion sources with proper motions was created.

The method is validated on the Pleiades cluster.

Abstract

The kinematic properties of the different classes of objects in a given association hold important clues about its member's history, and offer a unique opportunity to test the predictions of the various models of stellar formation and evolution. DANCe (standing for Dynamical Analysis of Nearby ClustErs) is a survey program aimed at deriving a comprehensive and homogeneous census of the stellar and substellar content of a number of nearby (<1kpc) young (<500Myr) associations. Whenever possible, members will be identified based on their kinematics properties, ensuring little contamination from background and foreground sources. Otherwise, the dynamics of previously confirmed members will be studied using the proper motion measurements. We present here the method used to derive precise proper motion measurements, using the Pleiades cluster as a test bench. Combining deep wide field multi-epoch panchromatic images obtained at various obervatories over up to 14 years, we derive accurate proper motions for the sources present in the field of the survey. The datasets cover ~80 square degrees, centered around the Seven Sisters. Using new tools, we have computed a catalog of 6116907 unique sources, including proper motion measurements for 3577478 of them. The catalogue covers the magnitude range between i=12~24mag, achieving a proper motion accuracy <1mas/yr for sources as faint as i=22.5mag. We estimate that our final accuracy reaches 0.3mas/yr in the best cases, depending on magnitude, observing history, and the presence of reference extragalactic sources for the anchoring onto the ICRS.