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| Paper: |
Galactic Structure and Kinematics Defined by Open Clusters |
| Volume: |
451, 9th Pacific Rim Conference on Stellar Astrophysics |
| Page: |
339 |
| Authors: |
Liu, J.; Zhu, Z. |
| Abstract: |
On the basis of recently published data of the open clusters, we have selected 301 clusters with measurements of their kinematical parameters to trace the local structure and kinematics of the Galactic disk. The present sample covers a range of about 3.0 kpc from the Sun and gives significant estimates of the disk structure and kinematical parameters of the Galaxy. We derive the disk scale height, solar motion with respect to the local standard of rest, circular speed of the Galactic rotation and the Galactocentric distance from the Sun, etc. We found that the average scale height of the disk defined by the open clusters is zh=58±4 pc, with a vertical displacement of the Sun above the Galactic plane of z0=16±4 pc, and clusters with ages older than 50 Myr are less concentrated in the average plane than the younger clusters. Using the approximation of axisymmetric circular rotation, we have derived the distance to the Galactic center from the Sun R0 =8.03 ±0.70 kpc, which is in excellent agreement with the best estimate of the Galactocentric distance. From a kinematical analysis, the mean rotation velocity of the Galaxy was obtained as V0=235±10 km s–1. |
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