INTRODUCTION
NGC 2251 is an intermediate age open cluster located in the northern constellation of Camelopardalis. It was first discovered by William Herschel in 1786. The cluster has an estimated age of around 630 million years and is located at a distance of about 3,200 light-years from Earth.
To study NGC 2251 and investigate its properties, I collected 15 images of the cluster in various filters using the Skynet telescope network. In order to study and understand NGC 2251 the relationships between the colours, brightnes, and the age and chemical composition of the cluster, I have collected around 15 images each in the B, V, R filters, with these respective exposure times 25s , 35s, 60s through skynet . The imaging parameters were set to achieve the highest possible image quality and minimize noise. I then used Afterglow and Cluster Pro Plus software to analyze the images and derive basic parameters such as distance, proper motion, and size.
One interesting aspect of my analysis was the discovery of several blue straggler stars within the cluster. These stars are thought to be the result of stellar collisions or mergers, and their presence can provide valuable insights into the cluster’s dynamical history. Additionally, I found evidence of a faint nebula surrounding NGC 2251, which may be associated with the cluster’s formation.
                                   ISM-reddened NGC 2251
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                                de-reddened NGC 2251
I also used Cluster Pro Plus to gather more information about this cluster and you can actually see there are a few blue stragglers in this cluster. Here are the Cluster Pro Plus results:
  Cluster Pro Plus Graph
Conclusion
Overall, studying NGC 2251 was a rewarding experience that allowed me to gain valuable insights into the properties and formation of intermediate age open clusters. The discovery of blue straggler stars and a potential nebula surrounding the cluster added interesting elements to the analysis, while the comparison with previous studies provided a useful benchmark for evaluating the accuracy of my results.