Open clusters or their remnants: B and V photometry of NGC 1901 and NGC 1252

Photometry in theB andV bands is presented for the southern stellar groups NGC 1901 and NGC 1252. NGC 1901 is often described as an open cluster while NGC 1252 consists of a concentration of about 20 stars centered20 0 north of the original New General Catalogue coordinates, and at the southwest edge of the large region previously assigned to this object in the literature. NGC 1901 has a clear main sequence and shares similarities with the Hyades. We derive a reddening value E(B V )=0 :04, a distance from the Sund =0 :45 kpc (Z = 0:23 kpc) and an age 0.6 0.1 Gyr. NGC 1901 is conclusively a physical system, dynamically comparable to or more evolved than the Hyades. The colour-magnitude diagram of NGC 1252 suggests a turno and main sequence, and a total of 12 probable members. We simulated the Galactic eld colour-magnitude diagram in the same direction and found it to be a poor match to NGC 1252, suggesting that NGC 1252 is not a eld fluctuation. Isochrone tting to the probable members is consistent with E(B V )=0 :02, d =0 :64 kpc (Z = 0:46 kpc) and an age 3 1 Gyr. NGC 1252 cannot be ruled out as a physical group with the available data. If so, evidence is found that it is not a classical open cluster, but rather an open cluster remnant.