Integrated spectral properties of four previously unstudied small angular size galactic open clusters

We have derived fundamental parameters for the previously unstudied concentrated Galactic open clusters Berkeley77, NGC 2587, BH 58 and ESO324-SC15 by means of integrated spectroscopy in the range 3800-6800 angstrom. The cluster integrated spectra are compared with those of solar metallicity template spectra of Galactic open clusters with known parameters. The spectra were obtained at CASLEO (San Juan, Argentina) with a resolution of 14 A. We estimated simultaneously age and foreground interstellar reddening by comparing the continuum distribution and line strengths of the cluster spectra with those of template spectra. Berkeley 77 was found to be an old cluster of 3-4 Gyr, while the remaining three clusters are between 400 and 1000 Myr old, The derived foreground reddening values range from E(B circle dot V) = 0.0 in NGC 2587 and ESO 324-SC15 to approximately 0.30 in Berkeley 77. (C) 2008 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.