Detailed Analysis of the NGC 2168 Cluster, Leveraging Gaia DR3

TL;DR

This study provides a comprehensive analysis of the NGC 2168 cluster using Gaia DR3 data, revealing its structural, kinematic, and dynamical properties, including age, metallicity, spatial distribution, and orbital characteristics.

Contribution

It offers the first detailed characterization of NGC 2168's properties based on Gaia DR3, including membership, structure, and dynamical history, highlighting features like its extended halo and vertical elongation.

Findings

Cluster age estimated at 190 Myr.

Detected a loosely bound stellar halo.

Confirmed orbit as a thin disk object.

Abstract

NGC 2168 (M35) serves as a fundamental benchmark for studying stellar evolution and dynamical environments at the transition between young and intermediate-age populations. We present a comprehensive analysis of the cluster's kinematic, structural, and astrophysical properties utilizing high-precision astrometry and photometry data from Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3), complemented by 2MASS data. A statistical membership assessment yields a clean sample of probable members (N ~ 1397), with mean proper motion components of mu_alpha cos(delta) = 2.278 +/- 0.006 mas/yr and mu_delta = -2.893 +/- 0.006 mas/yr, along with a mean trigonometric parallax of varpi = 1.154 +/- 0.052 mas. We derived the cluster's fundamental parameters via isochrone fitting, determining an age of 190 +/- 12 Myr, a metallicity of [M/H] = -0.048 dex, and a probabilistic distance of 840 +/- 54 pc. The radial density profile is well described by a generalized King model with beta = 1 (rc = 7.97', rcl = 36.69'), revealing the presence of a loosely bound, extended stellar halo. Furthermore, we detect a spatial elongation oriented perpendicular to the Galactic plane, likely a signature of vertical tidal heating or disk shocking. The mass function analysis exhibits a multimodal Gaussian structure, suggesting a complex dynamical formation history beyond a simple power-law distribution. Finally, orbital integration confirms NGC 2168 as a thin disk object with a maximum vertical excursion of ~171 pc, consistent with the observed vertical morphological deformation.