Survey for Distant Stellar Aggregates in the Galactic Disk: Detecting 2000 Star Clusters and Candidates, along with the Dwarf Galaxy IC 10

Abstract

Despite having data for over 10 ^9 stars from Gaia, less than 10 ^4 star clusters and candidates have been discovered. In particular, distant star clusters are rarely identified, due to the challenges posed by heavy extinction and great distance. However, Gaia data has continued to improve, enabling even fainter cluster members to be distinguished from field stars. In this work, we introduce a star-cluster search method based on the DBSCAN algorithm; we have made improvements to make it better suited for identifying clusters on dimmer and more distant stars. After having removed member stars of known Gaia-based clusters, we identified 2086 objects with ∣ b ∣ 5 mag. This has enabled us to detect a higher number of old clusters, over a billion years old, that are difficult to detect due to observational limitations. Our findings significantly expand the remote cluster sample and enhance our understanding of the limits of Gaia DR3 data in stellar aggregates research.

Keywords

• Open star clusters
• Globular star clusters
• Dwarf galaxies
• Milky Way Galaxy
• Gaia