The Kinematics, Metallicities, and Orbits of Six Recently Discovered Galactic Star Clusters with Magellan/M2FS Spectroscopy

Andrew B. Pace*, Sergey E. Koposov, Matthew G. Walker, Nelson Caldwell, Mario Mateo, Edward W. Olszewski, Ian U. Roederer, John I. Bailey III, Vasily Belokurov, Kyler Kuehn, Ting S. Li, Daniel B. Zucker

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract / Description of output

We present Magellan/M2FS spectroscopy of four recently discovered Milky Way star clusters (Gran 3, Gran 4, Garro 01, LP 866) and two newly discovered open clusters (Gaia 9, Gaia 10) at low Galactic latitudes. We measure line-of-sight velocities and stellar parameters ([Fe/H], logg, Teff, [Mg/Fe]) from high resolution spectroscopy centered on the Mg triplet and identify 20-80 members per star cluster. We determine the kinematics and chemical properties of each cluster and measure the systemic proper motion and orbital properties by utilizing Gaia astrometry. We find Gran 3 to be an old, metal-poor (mean metallicity of [Fe/H]=-1.84) globular cluster located in the Galactic bulge on a retrograde orbit. Gran 4 is an old, metal-poor ([Fe/H]}=-1.84) globular cluster with a halo-like orbit that happens to be passing through the Galactic plane. The orbital properties of Gran 4 are consistent with the proposed LMS-1/Wukong and/or Helmi streams merger events. Garro 01 is an old, metal-rich ([Fe/H]=-0.30) globular cluster on a near circular orbit in the outer disk. Gaia 9 and Gaia 10 are among the most distant known open clusters at RGC∼18,21.2 kpc and most metal-poor with [Fe/H]~-0.50,-0.46 for Gaia 9 and Gaia 10, respectively. LP 866 is a nearby, metal-rich open cluster ([Fe/H]=+0.1). The discovery and confirmation of multiple star clusters in the Galactic plane shows the power of {\it Gaia} astrometry and the star cluster census remains incomplete.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)1075-1094
Number of pages20
JournalMonthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society
Volume526
Issue number1
Early online date12 Sept 2023
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Nov 2023

Keywords / Materials (for Non-textual outputs)

  • stars: kinematics and dynamics
  • globular clusters: general
  • open clusters and associations: general

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