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Issue A&A
Volume 406, Number 3, August II 2003
Page(s) 893 - 898
Section Stellar clusters and associations
DOI http://dx.doi.org/10.1051/0004-6361:20030834



A&A 406, 893-898 (2003)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20030834

NGC 6738: Not a real open cluster

C. Boeche1, R. Barbon2, A. Henden3, U. Munari1 and P. Agnolin2

1  Osservatorio Astronomico di Padova, Sede di Asiago, 36012 Asiago (VI), Italy
2  Osservatorio Astrofisico di Asiago, Università di Padova, 36012 Asiago (VI), Italy
3  Universities Space Research Association/US Naval Observatory Flagstaff Station, PO Box 1149, Flagstaff AZ 86002-1149, USA

(Received 28 april 2003 / Accepted 3 June 2003)

Abstract
A photometric, astrometric and spectroscopic investigation of the poorly studied open cluster NGC 6738 has been performed in order to ascertain its real nature. NGC 6738 is definitely not a physical stellar ensemble: photometry does not show a defined mean sequence, proper motions and radial velocities are randomly distributed, spectro-photometric parallaxes range between 10 and 1600 pc, and the apparent luminosity function is identical to that of the surrounding field. NGC 6738 therefore appears to be an apparent concentration of a few bright stars projected on patchy background absorption.


Key words: open clusters and associations: general -- open clusters and associations: individual: NGC 6738

Offprint request: U. Munari, munari@pd.astro.it

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