The Age of the Inner Halo Globular Cluster NGC 6652

Abstract

HST (V,I) photometry has been obtained for the inner halo globular cluster NGC 6652. The photometry reaches approximately 4 mag below the turn-off and includes a well populated horizontal branch. This cluster is located close to the Galactic center at a galactocentric distance of approximately 2.0 kpc with a reddening of E(V-I) = 0.15 +/- 0.02 and has a metallicity of [Fe/H] approximately -0.85. Based upon Delta(V) between the point on the sub-giant branch which is 0.05 mag redder than the turn-off and the horizontal branch, NGC 6652 is 11.7 +/- 1.6 Gyr old. Using this same Delta(V), precise differential ages for 47 Tuc (a thick disk globular), M107 and NGC 1851 (both halo clusters) were obtained. NGC 6652 appears to be the same age as 47 Tuc and NGC 1851 (within +/- 1.2 Gyr), while there is a slight suggestion that M107 is older than NGC 6652 by 2.3 +/- 1.5 Gyr. As this is a less than 2-sigma result, this issue needs to be investigated further before a definitive statement regarding the relative age of M107 and NGC 6652 may be made.