Probing the nature of Possible Open Cluster Remnants with the Southern Proper Motion Program

Abstract

We discuss the nature of eleven Possible Open Cluster Remnants (POCRs) by using absolute proper motions from the Southern Proper Motion (SPM) Program 3 (Girard et al. 2004) combined with near infrared photometry from 2MASS. The analysis is done by considering the distribution of stars in the Color-Magnitude and the Vector Point diagrams. We successfully probed the capabilities of the SPM catalog to detect a physical group by looking at the open cluster Blanco~1. However, within the uncertainties of the SPM3 catalog and basing on 2MASS photometry we conclude that only one -ESO282SC26- out of eleven objects turns out to be a probable physical group. We suggest it is an open cluster 1.3 Gyr old and located 1.4 kpc from the Sun.