Distances of some open clusters near Eta Carinae

Abstract

It is the purpose of this Thesis to obtain, photometrically, the distances of five open clusters in the Milky Way in Carina and to discuss the results in terms of the spiral structure in the region. None of the clusters had been studied before and so the choice was, of necessity, arbitrary. Nevertheless, two of the clusters proved to be young and thus relevant to such considerations. The Milky Way in Carina is described in the first chapter and this is followed by a rather general account of the photometry. The results for the individual clusters are given in the third chapter. The spiral structure manifest in the region is discussed in the fourth in conjunction with the relevant results obtained in the previous chapter. The Thesis concludes with formal remarks and recommendations. References in the text are given in the style preferred by the Royal Astronomical Society. The kiloparsec is taken as the unit of distance. Galactic co-ordinates are on the new system and the superscript 'll’ has been omitted: exceptions are noted explicitly. Show more