Comparing the Ages of NGC 1513 and NGC 2420 (Abstract)

Volume 48 number 2 (2020)

Sahana Datar

Stanford Online High School, Academy Hall Floor 2 8853, 415 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063; sahanald@gmail.com

Cindy Wang

Stanford Online High School, Academy Hall Floor 2 8853, 415 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063; cindersw23@gmail.com

Connor Espenshade

Stanford Online High School, Academy Hall Floor 2 8853, 415 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063; cjespenshade@icloud.com

Kalée Tock

Stanford Online High School, Academy Hall Floor 2 8853, 415 Broadway, Redwood City, CA 94063; kaleeg@stanford.edu

Abstract

(Abstract only) We compared two star clusters, NGC 1513 and NGC 2420, using images of each cluster taken by the Las Cumbres Observatory 0.4-meter telescopes in blue and visual filters. We reduced the images using AstroImageJ and Our Solar Siblings pipeline photometry, and looked up the magnitudes of the stars, where available, from the SIMBAD and APASS catalogs. Color-Magnitude Diagrams (CMD’s) were created using the magnitudes of reference stars in each cluster. The diagrams were corrected for reddening that occurred due to dust or other particles. The lowest B–V values in each CMD were then used to determine the spectral type of the hottest stars in each cluster. NGC 2420’s hottest stars were type A, while NGC 1513’s hottest stars were type O. Because the stars in NGC 1513 are hotter than the stars in NGC 2420, we can conclude that NGC 1513 is younger than NGC 2420.