Barb\'a 2: A new supergiant-rich Galactic stellar cluster

TL;DR

Barbá 2 is a newly discovered supergiant-rich stellar cluster in our galaxy, characterized by its distance, spectral classifications, and unique extinction properties, contributing to understanding of stellar evolution and galactic structure.

Contribution

This paper reports the discovery and detailed characterization of Barbá 2, a supergiant-rich cluster, including its distance, spectral types, extinction properties, and age, which were previously unknown.

Findings

Distance of 7.39 kpc with uncertainties

Contains multiple classified supergiants

Cluster age estimated at minimum 10 million years

Abstract

We present a new supergiant-rich stellar cluster hidden by extinction and christen it as Barb\'a 2, in honor of its discoverer Rodolfo Barb\'a. The cluster is at a distance of $7.39^{+0.65}_{-0.55}$ kpc and contains several supergiants, of which we provide spectral classifications for one blue, one yellow, and five red ones. The cluster extinction indicates an above-average grain-size ($R_{5495} \sim 3.7$), its age has a minimum value of 10 Ma, and its core radius is $0.84\pm0.19$ pc.