Intermediate-Age Clusters in a Field Containing M31 and M32 Stars

Abstract

Hubble Space Telescope/Advanced Camera for Surveys fields toward M31 and M32 were examined for the presence of possible star clusters. On the basis of stellar photometry, two intermediate-age clusters were found in the field that contains both M31 and M32 stars. One is approximately 200 Myr of age with a mass ~400 M _sun, and the other is 1 Gyr old with mass ~8 × 10⁴ M _sun. Several other cluster candidates are identified, but their stellar populations are more similar to the field: old and slightly metal-poor.