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Yangping Luo

Publications and source records attributed to Yangping Luo.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Membership Determination of 45 Open Clusters Beyond 3 kpc

Context. Open clusters (OCs) are fundamental tracers for studying the structure and chemical evolution of the Galactic disc. Reliable identification of cluster members, particularly at the faint end of the main sequence, remains challenging owing to severe field-star contamination and the declining photometric completeness for distant, obscured systems. Aims. We aim to identify and characterise distant OC candidates at heliocentric distances $d \gtrsim 3$ kpc using Gaia DR3 astrometry, with emphasis on improving the recovery of faint candidate members in highly contaminated stellar fields. Methods. We apply a probabilistic membership method based on Gaia DR3 proper motions and parallaxes. Candidate members are selected through combined astrometric criteria and refined via spatial filtering using radial density profiles, with photometric data serving as a consistency check. For clusters affected by significant extinction, near-infrared photometry from 2MASS is incorporated to compensate for the limitations of optical data. Results. We analyse a sample of 45 targets, comprising 30 previously reported OCs and 15 newly identified candidates, all located at $d \gtrsim 3$ kpc. The method yields more compact astrometric distributions and improves the recovery of faint candidate members in several systems. However, residual field contamination remains non-negligible for the most obscured clusters projected against the Galactic plane. Conclusions. Gaia DR3 astrometry provides an effective basis for the exploratory identification and first-order characterisation of distant OC candidates. Dedicated near-infrared follow-up observations will be essential for robust membership assessment in high extincted regions.

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Missing pairs in open cluster catalogs

Open clusters (OCs) in our Galaxy can be found in pairs, possibly forming physical binaries, or in groups. These objects offer unique insights into the process of star formation and testify to the dynamical interactions at local and galactic scales. Therefore, building as complete a census as possible is a valuable endeavor. This work is aimed at identifying and characterizing new OC pair candidates that had been overlooked in previous studies. Two recent comprehensive catalogs were cross-matched to identify OCs in the first catalog that had been missing from the second one. From this list, counterparts in the second catalog were searched within a 3D distance of 50 pc. Candidate pairs were then selected by applying constraints on the tangential velocity (TV) difference. An orbital integration was performed to assess gravitational binding. The similarity in terms of the radial velocity (RV) and age was evaluated. We identified seven isolated binary cluster candidates, comprising two likely bound systems with stable orbits over 100 Myr; two pairs with a possible common origin but lacking RV confirmation; and three pairs with significant velocity discrepancies, suggesting they are unbound or in transitional states. We also identified six cluster group candidates, while refining the membership of known complexes such as UBC\_672 and NGC\_1977, and discovering a new group around FSR\_0198. Notably, the UBC\_392 group exhibits coherent proper motions but inconsistent RVs and large age spreads, indicating that it is not gravitationally bound. Additionally, we reconciled 15 clusters with discrepant nomenclature between the two catalogs. Multi-catalog integration combined with kinematic and dynamical validation is essential for establishing a complete census of Galactic cluster pairs.

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Star formation in the circumgalactic high-velocity cloud Complex H

The accretion of metal-poor gas sustains galactic star formation. In the Milky Way, this process is fueled by high-velocity clouds (HVCs), yet their fundamental properties have remained elusive in the absence of stellar tracers. Here we report a binary open cluster within HVC Complex H. With an age of 11.2 +- 0.6 Myr and a subsolar metallicity of 0.05(+0.05-0.02) Zsun, the clusters provide a direct stellar distance anchor to the cloud at 13.8 +- 0.6 kpc. Their proper motions indicate Complex H is on a prograde, south-to-north orbit through the outer Galactic disk. The resulting interaction produces a 'slow-fast-slow' velocity gradient, with the cloud's outer layers decelerating as they merge into the disk. Orbit integration suggests the clusters formed from an internal cloud-cloud collision. This triggering mechanism implies other HVCs could similarly produce high-velocity stars. The scarcity of previous stellar detections in HVCs is explained by the rapid escape of young stars (< 20 Myr), while CO non-detections may stem from weak emission due to low metallicity and gas dispersal. This work reveals that the circumgalactic medium can sustain star formation, offering a tangible laboratory to probe the physical conditions of accreting gas before it merges with the Galactic disk.

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The morphological stability of open clusters: a new 2D perspective

Open clusters (OCs) usually evolve gradually as the number of their members changes, which can be manifested in their morphological characteristics. We aim to investigate the morphological stability of 1,490 OCs and further explore the potential change of morphological stability of the OCs at different spatial positions, using the OC catalog from the literature. We define for the first time a new morphological stability parameter Ncore/Nouter, a ratio of member numbers between cluster core and outer areas within tidal radii, which has a significant positive correlation against N, with a slope of 1.140$\pm$0.039, significantly steeper than the 0.720$\pm$0.026 measured for Score/Souter. This demonstrates that the stellar density in the core is a more sensitive tracer for morphological stability than geometry. Spatially, the radial sample OCs have larger slopes of Ncore/Nouter and Score/Souter against N, with 1.083$\pm$0.116 and 0.733$\pm$0.080, respectively, whereas those in the tangential direction 1.013$\pm$0.110 and 0.529$\pm$0.075, respectively, which means that the impact on sample OCs from tidal forces directed toward the Galactic center is possibly stronger than that from the shear force caused by the differential rotation of the Galactic disk. Besides, the sample OCs younger than 30 Myr display a shallow slope of 0.751$\pm$0.166, with those older than 800 Myr (1.442$\pm$0.128), reflecting that young OCs likely endure both internal disruptions, such as early dynamical heating weakening core binding and more severe external disturbances, compared to older OCs.

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Gaia DR3 Open Cluster Cepheids: A Unified Catalog with Calibrated Period-Age and Period-Wesenheit Relations

Classical Cepheids (CCs) in Galactic open clusters (OCs) provide essential observational constraints for calibrating the period-age relation (PAR) and the period-Wesenheit relation (PWR) of CCs. However, distant and long-period OC Cepheids remain limited, while the confirmed samples still require more precise determinations of their physical properties, such as ages and extinctions. In this work, we present a comprehensive census of OC Cepheids based on an extensive sample of distant OCs from Gaia Data Release 3 (DR3). By combining astrometric and photometric membership analyses, we identified 110 CCs associated with 102 OCs, of which 41 CCs across 37 OCs were classified as OC Cepheids, while the remaining cases were considered candidate or rejected associations. Our results are consistent with previous studies, while 4 of the 41 OC Cepheids are newly reported here. Using updated cluster parameters derived from manual isochrone fitting, we primarily refined the PAR to log Age = (-0.595 $\pm$ 0.044) log P + (8.430 $\pm$ 0.042) and recalibrated the PWR to WG = (-3.615 $\pm$ 0.083) log P + (-2.379 $\pm$ 0.096). This study expands the sample of confirmed and candidate OC Cepheids. The newly longest-period confirmed OC Cepheid is BM Per (CWNU 3123) with log P = 1.36, and two newly discovered OC Cepheid candidates have distances exceeding 6 kpc. Moreover, the PAR and PWR are improved by incorporating refined OC ages and updated parallaxes, respectively.

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Census of Blue Straggler Stars in Distant Open Clusters and Maximum Fractional Mass Excess of OC BSS

We identified blue straggler stars (BSSs) in 53 open clusters utilizing data from Gaia DR3. Most of these clusters are situated in the outer regions of the Galactic disc, encompassing structures such as the warp and the Outer arm. We analyzed their astrometric parameters and determined that 48 of them demonstrate high reliability in radial density profile. Furthermore, through manual isochrone fitting and visual inspection, we confirmed 119 BSS candidates and identified 328 additional possible candidates within these clusters. Our results contribute to a 46% increase in the sample size of BSSs in open clusters for regions of the Galactic disc where Rgc > 12 kpc. We observed that the new samples are fainter compared to those identified in the past. Additionally, we investigated the maximum fractional mass excess (Me) of the BSSs in open clusters, including previously published BSS samples. Our findings indicate a strong correlation between the capability to produce highest-Me BSSs and the mass of their host clusters. This observation appears to reinforce a fundamental principle whereby an increase in the mass of a star cluster correlates with a higher likelihood of stellar mergers. In contrast, we observe minimal correlation between maximum-Me and the cluster age. Among clusters containing BSSs, younger clusters (0.5 to 1 Gyr) display a scarcity of high-Me BSSs. This scarcity may be attributed to the absence of more massive clusters within this age range.

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Detection of Ubiquitous Circumbinary Matter in Hot Subdwarfs Formed from Common-Envelope Ejections

The formation of compact binary systems is largely driven by their evolution through a common envelope (CE) phase, crucial for understanding phenomena such as type Ia supernovae and black hole mergers. Despite their importance, direct observational evidence for CE material has been elusive due to the transient nature of these envelopes. Numerical simulations suggest that some envelope material may persist post-ejection. In this study, we investigate circumstellar material (CSM) surrounding hot subdwarf (sdB) stars, focusing on material ejected during the CE phase of binary evolution. We analyze Ca II K absorption lines in 727 sdB candidates from the LAMOST-LRS survey, selecting 145 stars with strong absorption features, indicating the presence of CSM. We compare the velocities of the Ca II K lines with the systemic velocities of sdB binaries, confirming that the material originates from ejected common-envelope material. The results show that the CSM persists long after the CE event, suggesting the formation of a stable, long-lived circumstellar environment around sdB stars. This study enhances our understanding of the role of CSM in post-CE evolution and provides new insights into the physical processes shaping the evolution of sdB binaries.

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The disrupting and growing open cluster spiral arm patterns of the Milky Way

Star clusters provide unique advantages for investigating Galactic spiral arms, particularly due to their precise ages, positions, and kinematic properties, which are further enhanced by ongoing updates from the astrometric data. In this study, we employ the latest extensive catalogue of open clusters from Gaia DR3 to examine the positional deviations of clusters belonging to different age groups. Additionally, we employ dynamical simulations to probe the evolutionary behavior of spiral arm positions. Our analysis reveals an absence of a theoretical age pattern in the spiral arms traced by open clusters, and the pattern speeds of the spiral arms are consistent with the rotation curve. Both of these results do not align with the predictions of quasi-stationary density wave theory, suggesting a more dynamic or transient arm scenario for the Milky Way. From this perspective, combined with vertex deviation estimates, it appears that the Local arm is in a state of growth. In contrast, the Sagittarius-Carina arm and the Perseus arm exhibit opposing trends. Consequently, we speculate that the Galactic stellar disk does not exhibit a grand-design spiral pattern with a fixed pattern speed, but rather manifests as a multi-armed structure with arms that continuously emerge and dissipate.

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3D projection analysis: characterizing the morphological stability of nearby open clusters

Context. The study of open cluster morphology is pivotal for exploring their formation and evolutionary processes. Aims. We manage to assess the morphological stability of 105 nearby open clusters within tidal radii on the X-Y, X-Z, and Y-Z planes of the heliocentric Cartesian coordinate system, utilizing member catalogs from the literature. Meanwhile, we also delve into factors potentially impacting the clusters' morphological stability on these projection planes. Methods. We used the rose diagram method by constructing the 3D projected morphology of sample clusters to quantify the morphological stability of their 3D projected morphology. Results. Our analysis indicates there is a demonstrated linear positive correlation between the number of sample clusters' member stars within tidal radii and their morphological stability in different 3D projection planes. This may suggest that the more member stars there are within the tidal radius of a cluster, the stronger its own gravitational binding capacity is, resulting in strong morphological stability. We find a direct link between the clusters' morphological stabilities in the X-Z plane within tidal radii and their velocity dispersion in the same plane, suggesting that the morphological stabilities in the X-Z plane may be dependent on internal dynamics. Moreover, the morphological stability of the clusters' 3D projection is influenced by their spatial positions along the Y axis, but not linearly, indicating that the environmental changes at the clusters' location may affect their morphological stability. Likewise, specific external forces can have an effect on their morphological stability. Conclusions. This research introduces a novel perspective for understanding the morphological stability of open clusters, with a particular focus on their 3D projected morphologies.

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An In-depth Investigation of the Primordial Cluster Pair ASCC 19 and ASCC 21

Utilizing \texttt{Gaia} data from the literature, we report a new young ($\sim$8.9~Myr) cluster pair, ASCC~19 and ASCC~21, located near the Orion star-forming complex. The clusters are separated by a 3D distance of ~27.00~$\pm$~7.51~pc. Both clusters share a common age (Log(age)~=~6.95~$\pm$~0.05), similar radial velocities ($R_{v}$~=~21.34~$\pm$~4.47~km s$^{-1}$ for ASCC~19 and $R_{v}$~=~20.05~$\pm$~3.86~km s$^{-1}$ for ASCC~21), and comparable metallicities ([Fe/H]~=~$-$0.14~$\pm$~0.25~dex for ASCC~19 and [Fe/H]~=~$-$0.12~$\pm$~0.04~dex for ASCC~21, from LAMOST-DR11). These similarities suggest that the clusters likely originated from the fragmentation of the same molecular cloud, forming a primordial cluster pair. Furthermore, the formation of the two clusters is attributed to the coalescence of multiple subclusters, as inferred from the distribution analysis between metal abundances and distances to clusters' centers. Neither cluster shows significant mass segregation. Their members with radial velocities exceeding 100~km s$^{-1}$ are young variables. Additionally, a tidal interaction between the clusters is observed. Comparisons of the Roche radius with tidal radii, and velocity difference with orbital velocity, suggest that the pair is an unbound system, that is, a double cluster. Finally, orbital motion simulations show that the clusters will not merge into a single system.

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Multi-mode delta Sct stars from the Zwicky Transient Facility Survey

We obtain the largest catalog of multi-mode $\delta$ Sct stars in the northern sky to date using the Zwicky Transient Facility (ZTF) Data Release 20 (DR20). The catalog includes 2254 objects, of which 2181 are new to our study. Among these multi-mode $\delta$ Sct stars, 2142 objects are double-mode $\delta$ Sct, while 109 objects are triple-mode $\delta$ Sct and 3 are quadruple-mode $\delta$ Sct. By analyzing the light curves in the $r$ and $g$ bands of the ZTF, we determine the basic parameters of multi-mode $\delta$ Sct stars, including the periods and amplitudes. Periods are checked by comparison with the OGLE catalog of double-mode $\delta$ Sct stars. On the Petersen diagram, multi-mode $\delta$ Sct stars form six sequences. We find that in Galactic coordinates, the periods of 1O/F double-mode $\delta$ Sct stars at high latitudes are shorter than those of 1O/F double-mode $\delta$ Sct stars in the disk, due to metallicity variations. In the future, our catalog can be used to establish the period--luminosity relation and the period--metallicity relation of double-mode $\delta$ Sct stars, and to study the Galactic structure.

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Exploration of morphological coherence in open clusters with a "core-shell'' structure

The study of their morphological coherence allows us to obtain a better understanding of the morphological evolution of open clusters. We employed the ellipsoid fitting method to delineate the 3D spatial structure of the sample clusters while using the morphological dislocation (MD) defined in our previous work and the ellipticity ratio (ER) of the clusters' inner and outer structures to characterize the morphological coherence of the sample clusters. The results show an inverse correlation between the ER of the sample clusters and the number of their members, indicating that sample clusters with a much more elliptical external morphology than internal shape generally tend to host a large number of members. Meanwhile, a slight shrinking of the MD of the sample clusters with their members' number may shed light on the significant role of the gravitational binding of the sample clusters in maintaining their morphological stability. Moreover, there are no correlations between the MD and ER of the sample clusters and their age. They are also not significantly correlated with the X-axis, the Y-axis, their orbital eccentricities, and the radial and vertical forces on them. However, the ER of the sample clusters displays some fluctuations in the distributions between it and the above covariates, implying that the morphologies of the sample clusters are sensitive to the external environment if sample effects are not taken into account. Finally, the analysis of the 3D spatial shapes of sample clusters with a small ER or a large ER demonstrates that the number of members lays an important foundation for forming a dense internal system for sample clusters. At the same time, the MD of the sample clusters can serve well as an indicator of their morphological stability, which is built upon a certain amount of member stars.

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A born ultramassive white dwarf-hot subdwarf super-Chandrasekhar candidate

Although supernovae is a well-known endpoint of an accreting white dwarf, alternative theoretical possibilities has been discussing broadly, such as the accretion-induced collapse (AIC) event as the endpoint of oxygen-neon (ONe) white dwarfs, either accreting up to or merging to excess the Chandrasekhar limit (the maximum mass of a stable white dwarf). AIC is an important channel to form neutron stars, especially for those unusual systems, which are hardly produced by core-collapse supernovae. However, the observational evidences for this theoretical predicted event and its progenitor are all very limited. In all of the known progenitors, white dwarfs increase in mass by accretion. Here, we report the discovery of an intriguing binary system Lan 11, consisted of a stripped core-helium-burning hot subdwarf and an unseen compact object of 1.08 to 1.35 $M_{\odot}$. Our binary population synthesis calculations, along with the absence of detection from the deep radio observations of the Five-hundred-meter Aperture Spherical Radio Telescope, strongly suggest that the latter is an ONe white dwarf. The total mass of this binary is 1.67 to 1.92 $M_{\odot}$}, significantly excessing the Chandrasekhar limit. The reproduction of its evolutionary history indicates that the unique system has undergone two phases of common envelope ejections, implying a born nature of this massive ONe white dwarf rather than an accretion growth from its companion. These results, together with short orbital period of this binary (3.65 hours), suggest that this system will merge in 500-540 Myr, largely triggering an AIC event, although the possibility of type Ia supernova cannot be fully ruled out. This finding greatly provides valuable constraints on our understanding of stellar endpoints, whatever leading to an AIC or a supernova.

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Survey for Distant Stellar Aggregates in Galactic Disk: Detecting Two Thousand Star Clusters and Candidates, along with the Dwarf Galaxy IC10

Despite having data for over 10^9 stars from Gaia, only less than 10^4 star clusters and candidates have been discovered. Particularly, distant star clusters are rarely identified, due to the challenges posed by heavy extinction and great distance. However, Gaia data has continued to improve, enabling even fainter cluster members to be distinguished from field stars. In this work, we will introduce a star cluster search method based on the DBSCAN algorithm; we have made improvements to make it better suited for identifying clusters on dimmer and more distant stars. After removing member stars of known Gaia-based clusters, we have identified 2086 objects with |b|<10 deg, of which 1488 are highly reliable open star clusters, along with 569 candidates, 28 globular cluster candidates and 1 irregular galaxy IC 10 at low Galactic latitudes. We found that the proper motion of IC10 is similar yet slightly different from the water maser observations, which is an important result for the comparison with Gaia and VLBA. Besides, when compared with the star clusters appearing in Gaia DR2/EDR3, we have found nearly three times as many new objects above a distance of 5 kpc, including hundreds of them above Av > 5 mag. And it has enabled us to detect a higher number of old clusters, over a billion years old, that are difficult to detect due to observational limitations. Our findings significantly expand the remote cluster sample and enhance our understanding of the limits of Gaia DR3 data in stellar aggregates research. The full figure set for 2085 clusters can be seen in \url{https://nadc.china-vo.org/res/r101258/}

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Unveiling hidden stellar aggregates in the Milky Way: 1656 new star clusters found in Gaia EDR3

We report 1,656 new star clusters found in the Galactic disk (|b|<20 degrees) beyond 1.2 kpc, using Gaia EDR3 data. Based on an unsupervised machine learning algorithm, DBSCAN, and followed our previous studies, we utilized a unique method to do the data preparation and obtained the clustering coefficients, which proved to be an effective way to search blindly for star clusters. We tabulated the physical parameters and member stars of the new clusters, and presented some interesting examples, including a globular cluster candidate. The cluster parameters and member stars are available at CDS via anonymous ftp to https://cdsarc.cds.unistra.fr/ftp/vizier.submit//he22c. We examined the new discoveries and discussed their statistical properties. The proper motion dispersions and radii of the new clusters were the same as the previously reported ones. The new star clusters beyond 1.2 kpc were older than those in the solar neighborhood, and the new objects found in the third Galactic quadrant presented the lowest line-of-sight extinctions. Combined with our previous results, the total population of new clusters detected through our method was 2,541, corresponding to 55% of all newly published clusters in the Gaia era. The number of cataloged Gaia star clusters was also increased to nearly six thousand. In the near future, it is necessary to make a unified confirmation and member star determination for all reported clusters.

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A Roche Lobe-filling hot Subdwarf and White Dwarf Binary: possible detection of an ejected common envelope

Binaries consisting of a hot subdwarf star and an accreting white dwarf (WD) are sources of gravitational wave radiation at low frequencies and possible progenitors of type Ia supernovae if the WD mass is large enough. Here, we report the discovery of the third binary known of this kind: it consists of a hot subdwarf O (sdO) star and a WD with an orbital period of 3.495 hours and an orbital shrinkage of 0.1 s in 6 yr. The sdO star overfills its Roche lobe and likely transfers mass to the WD via an accretion disk. From spectroscopy, we obtain an effective temperature of $T_{\mathrm{eff}}=54\,240\pm1\,840$ K and a surface gravity of $\log{g}=4.841\pm0.108$ for the sdO star. From the light curve analysis, we obtain a sdO mass of $M_{\mathrm{sdO}}=0.55$ ${\mathrm{M_{\odot}}}$ and a mass ratio of $q=M_{\mathrm{WD}}/M_{\mathrm{sdO}}=0.738\pm0.001$. Also, we estimate that the disk has a radius of $\sim 0.41R_\odot$ and a thickness of $\sim 0.18R_\odot$. The origin of this binary is probably a common envelope ejection channel, where the progenitor of the sdO star is either an RGB star or, more likely, an early AGB star; the sdO star will subsequently evolve into a WD and merge with its WD companion, likely resulting in an R CrB star. The outstanding feature in the spectrum of this object is strong Ca H&K lines, which are blueshifted by $\sim$200 km/s and likely originate from the recently ejected common envelope, and we estimated that the remnant CE material in the binary system has a density $\sim 6\times 10^{-10} {\rm g/cm^3}$.

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Extremely low-mass white dwarf stars observed in Gaia DR2 and LAMOST DR8

We present the first results from our ongoing project to study extremely low mass (ELM) white dwarfs (WDs) ($M$ $\leq$ 0.3$M_{\sun}$) with the Large Sky Area Multi-Object Fibre Spectroscopic Telescope (LAMOST) spectra. Based on the LAMOST DR8 spectral database, we analyzed 136 ELM WD candidates selected from $\it Gaia$ DR2 data and 12 known objects previously identified by the ELM Survey. The atmospheric parameters and radial velocities of these stars were obtained by fitting the LAMOST low-resolution spectra. After comparing the atmospheric parameters of the 12 known objects from this work to the results reported by the ELM Survey, we demonstrated the potential of LAMOST spectra in probing into the nature of ELM WDs. Based on the atmospheric parameters and $\it Gaia$ EDR3 data, we identified 21 new high-probability ELM WDs with masses $M$ $\leq$ 0.3$M_{\sun}$ and parallax estimates that agree to within a factor of 3. Two of them, J0338+4134 and J1129+4715, show significant radial velocity variability and are very likely to be binary systems containing at least one ELM WD.

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A Blind All-sky Search for Star Clusters in Gaia EDR3: 886 Clusters within 1.2 kpc of the Sun

Although previous searches for star clusters have been very successful, many clusters are likely still omitted, especially at high Galactic latitude regions. In this work, based on the astrometry of Gaia EDR3, we searched nearby (parallax > 0.8 mas) all-sky regions, obtaining 886 star clusters, of which 270 candidates have not been cataloged before. At the same time, we have presented the physical parameters of the clusters by fitting theoretical isochrones to their optical magnitudes. More halo members and expanding structures in many star clusters were also found. Most of the new objects are young clusters that are less than 100 million years old. Our work greatly increased the sample size and physical parameters of star clusters in the solar neighborhood, in particular, 46 clusters are newly found with |b| > 20 deg, which represents an increase of nearly three fold of cluster numbers at high Galactic latitude regions. The cluster parameters and member stars are available at CDS via https://cdsarc.u-strasbg.fr/ftp/vizier.submit//hezh22b/, and the cluster figure sets are available via https://doi.org/10.12149/101133.

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