Exploring NGC 6866: Astronomers Uncover Secrets of Giant Stars
Astronomers have used data from NASA's Kepler and ESA's Gaia spacecraft to conduct an astroseismic investigation of six giant stars in the open cluster NGC 6866. The study provides insights into the properties of these giant stars and the cluster itself. The researchers identified and analyzed six giant stars in the cluster, finding that they have a mean radius of about 10.1 solar radii and a mean mass of around 2.8 solar masses. The stars were also found to be younger than previously thought, with an estimated age of between 443 and 580 million years. Further studies using asteroseismic missions have the potential to reveal more details about the properties of stars in NGC 6866 and other young open clusters.