The intermediate-age open cluster NGC 2112

We report on BVI charge-coupled device photometry of a field centred on the region of the intermediate-age open cluster NGC 2112 down to V = 21. Owing to the smaller field coverage, we are able to limit the effect of field star contamination that, in the past, hampered precise determinations of the cluster age and distance. In this way, we provide updated estimates of the fundamental parameters for NGC 2112. Having extended the photometry to the I passband, we are able to construct a colour-colour diagram, from which we infer a reddening E (B - V) = 0.63 +/- 0.14 mag. The comparison of the colour-magnitude diagram with theoretical isochrones leads to a distance of 850 +/-100 pc and an age of 2.0 +/- 0.3 Gyr. While the distance is in agreement with previous determinations, the age turns out to be much better constrained and significantly lower than previous estimates.