Open Clusters Ages from Giant Star Sizes
Abstract
The nearest open clusters serve as important benchmarks for theories of stellar evolution, and with the discoveries of gas giant planets in these clusters, they are poised to serve as benchmarks for theories of planet evolution. The value of these clusters stems from members having identical relative ages, but their value would be redoubled if their absolute ages were more robustly determined. We note, in particular, that recent studies that account for the rapid stellar rotation of main sequence turnoff stars find that current age estimates are biased by ~20%. Here we present CHARA Array angular size measurements of giant stars in the Praesepe, Coma Berenices and Hyades open clusters. These measurements are used to provide independent age estimates of the clusters, and to test evolutionary models that span from the main sequence to the red giant branch.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #227
- Pub Date:
- January 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AAS...22734518W