Revisiting Galactic Disk and Spiral Arms Using Open Clusters
We use the largest catalog of open clusters in the post-Gaia era to provide an observational view of the Galactic disk. By compiling physical parameters such as age, distance, and kinematic information, we investigate the spatial distribution of open clusters and revisit the spiral arms and other as...
| Main Authors: | , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
IOP Publishing
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | The Astronomical Journal |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acf7c8 |
| _version_ | 1797676794647674880 |
|---|---|
| author | Yogesh C. Joshi Sagar Malhotra |
| author_facet | Yogesh C. Joshi Sagar Malhotra |
| author_sort | Yogesh C. Joshi |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We use the largest catalog of open clusters in the post-Gaia era to provide an observational view of the Galactic disk. By compiling physical parameters such as age, distance, and kinematic information, we investigate the spatial distribution of open clusters and revisit the spiral arms and other asymmetries in the Galactic disk. Using young open clusters as a tracer of spiral arms, we map the spiral structure of the Galaxy and find that most of the clusters start migrating away from the spiral arms in about 10–20 Myr and fill the interarm regions as they age. Using the 3D kinematic information on 371 open star clusters, we derive different individual pattern speeds for spiral arms that closely follow the rotation curve of the Milky Way, hence favoring the transient nature of spiral arms in the Milky Way. The pattern rotation speeds of each spiral arm suggest that the spiral arms have not accelerated in the last 80 Myr. Based on the distribution of open clusters younger than 700 Myr above or below the Galactic plane, we found a solar offset of z _⊙ = 17.0 ± 0.9 pc north of the Galactic plane and estimated the scale height z _h = 91.7 ± 1.9 pc from the Galactic plane. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:35:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-09f408e5bd8544c4a36dbdb99bcf0631 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1538-3881 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T22:35:30Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | IOP Publishing |
| record_format | Article |
| series | The Astronomical Journal |
| spelling | doaj.art-09f408e5bd8544c4a36dbdb99bcf06312023-09-22T14:03:48ZengIOP PublishingThe Astronomical Journal1538-38812023-01-01166417010.3847/1538-3881/acf7c8Revisiting Galactic Disk and Spiral Arms Using Open ClustersYogesh C. Joshi0https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8657-1573Sagar Malhotra1Aryabhatta Research Institute of Observational Sciences (ARIES) , Manora Peak, Nainital 263002, India ; yogesh@aries.res.inIndian Institute of Science Education & Research , Mohali 140306, IndiaWe use the largest catalog of open clusters in the post-Gaia era to provide an observational view of the Galactic disk. By compiling physical parameters such as age, distance, and kinematic information, we investigate the spatial distribution of open clusters and revisit the spiral arms and other asymmetries in the Galactic disk. Using young open clusters as a tracer of spiral arms, we map the spiral structure of the Galaxy and find that most of the clusters start migrating away from the spiral arms in about 10–20 Myr and fill the interarm regions as they age. Using the 3D kinematic information on 371 open star clusters, we derive different individual pattern speeds for spiral arms that closely follow the rotation curve of the Milky Way, hence favoring the transient nature of spiral arms in the Milky Way. The pattern rotation speeds of each spiral arm suggest that the spiral arms have not accelerated in the last 80 Myr. Based on the distribution of open clusters younger than 700 Myr above or below the Galactic plane, we found a solar offset of z _⊙ = 17.0 ± 0.9 pc north of the Galactic plane and estimated the scale height z _h = 91.7 ± 1.9 pc from the Galactic plane.https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acf7c8Galaxy structureMilky Way diskOpen star clusters |
| spellingShingle | Yogesh C. Joshi Sagar Malhotra Revisiting Galactic Disk and Spiral Arms Using Open Clusters The Astronomical Journal Galaxy structure Milky Way disk Open star clusters |
| title | Revisiting Galactic Disk and Spiral Arms Using Open Clusters |
| title_full | Revisiting Galactic Disk and Spiral Arms Using Open Clusters |
| title_fullStr | Revisiting Galactic Disk and Spiral Arms Using Open Clusters |
| title_full_unstemmed | Revisiting Galactic Disk and Spiral Arms Using Open Clusters |
| title_short | Revisiting Galactic Disk and Spiral Arms Using Open Clusters |
| title_sort | revisiting galactic disk and spiral arms using open clusters |
| topic | Galaxy structure Milky Way disk Open star clusters |
| url | https://doi.org/10.3847/1538-3881/acf7c8 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT yogeshcjoshi revisitinggalacticdiskandspiralarmsusingopenclusters AT sagarmalhotra revisitinggalacticdiskandspiralarmsusingopenclusters |