2021/01/30 by W. Narloch, G. Pietrzyński, W. Gieren +19
Physics and Astronomy · #Astronomy #Astronomy and Astrophysical Research #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Cepheid variable #Demography #Galaxy #Large Magellanic Cloud #Metallicity #Photometry (optics) #Physics #Population #Small Magellanic Cloud #Star cluster #Star formation #Stars #Stellar population #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #astro-ph.GA #astro-ph.SR
paper · pdf · doi:10.1051/0004-6361/202039623
published as A&A 647, A135 (2021) · 22 pages, 12 figures, 6 tables, Published in A&A
openalex publication_date 2021/01/30 · arxiv created 2021/04/28 · arxiv updated 2021/04/29 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Aims. In this work we study 35 stellar clusters in the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC) in order to provide their mean metallicities and ages. We also provide mean metallicities of the fields surrounding the clusters. Methods. We used Strömgren photometry obtained with the 4.1 m SOAR telescope and take advantage of ( b − y ) and m 1 colors for which there is a metallicity calibration presented in the literature. Results. The spatial metallicity and age distributions of clusters across the SMC are investigated using the results obtained by Strömgren photometry. We confirm earlier observations that younger, more metal-rich star clusters are concentrated in the central regions of the galaxy, while older, more metal-poor clusters are located farther from the SMC center. We construct the age–metallicity relation for the studied clusters and find good agreement with theoretical models of chemical enrichment, and with other literature age and metallicity values for those clusters. We also provide the mean metallicities for old and young populations of the field stars surrounding the clusters, and find the latter to be in good agreement with recent studies of the SMC Cepheid population. Finally, the Strömgren photometry obtained for this study is made publicly available.