Skip to main content
Astronomical JournalVolume 160, Issue 3, September 2020, Article number 142

The Relation of the Alpha Persei Star Cluster with the Nearby Stellar Stream(Article)(Open Access)

  Save all to author list
  • aUral Federal University, 19 Mira Street, Ekaterinburg, 620002, Russian Federation
  • bDipartimento di Fisica e Astronomia, Universita' di Padova, Vicolo Osservatorio 3, Padova, I-35122, Italy

Abstract

A map of 100° on a side extracted from Gaia DR2 and centered on Alpha Persei reveals two distinct structures - the Alpha Persei star cluster and a conspicuous stellar stream, as widely documented in recent literature. In this work we employ DBSCAN to assess individual stars' membership and attempt at separating stars belonging to the cluster and to the stream from the general field. In turn, we characterize the stream and investigate its relation with the cluster. The stream population turned out to be significantly older (5 ± 1 Gyr) than the cluster, and to be positioned ∼90 pc away from the cluster, in its background. The stream exhibits a sizeable thickness of ∼180 pc in the direction of the line of view. Finally, the stream harbors a prominent population of white dwarf stars. We estimated an upper limit of the stream mass of ∼6000M o˙. The stream would therefore be the leftover of a relatively massive old cluster. The surface density map of Alpha Persei indicates the presence of tidal tails. While it is tempting to ascribe their presence to the interaction with the disrupting old star cluster, we prefer to believe, conservatively, they are of Galactic origin. © 2020. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved..

  • ISSN: 00046256
  • Source Type: Journal
  • Original language: English
  • DOI: 10.3847/1538-3881/aba753
  • Document Type: Article
  • Publisher: IOP Publishing Ltd

  Seleznev, A.F.; Ural Federal University, 19 Mira Street, Ekaterinburg, Russian Federation;
© Copyright 2020 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.

Cited by 6 documents

Hao, C.J. , Xu, Y. , Hou, L.G.
Probing the Nature of Rotation in the Pleiades, Alpha Persei, and Hyades Clusters
(2024) Astrophysical Journal
Malofeeva, A.A. , Mikhnevich, V.O. , Carraro, G.
Unresolved Binaries and Multiples in the Intermediate Mass Range in Open Clusters: Pleiades, Alpha Per, Praesepe, and NGC 1039
(2023) Astronomical Journal
Bhattacharya, S. , Rao, K.K. , Agarwal, M.
A Gaia EDR3 search for tidal tails in disintegrating open clusters
(2022) Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
View details of all 6 citations
{"topic":{"name":"Open Clusters; Magellanic Clouds; Gaia","id":4188,"uri":"Topic/4188","prominencePercentile":92.106,"prominencePercentileString":"92.106","overallScholarlyOutput":0},"dig":"8fb0287cc7f8fa4fba99a298c69cde6e202ead3ad6581fbc32fdd8dee9eb34ed"}

SciVal Topic Prominence

Topic:
Prominence percentile: