After having studied in great detail the
observational HR diagram (log
Teff,
Mbol) composed by 40 main
sequence stars of the Hyades (Perryman et
al.,1997, A&A., in press), we have tried to
apply the same method to the observational main
sequences of the three next nearest open clusters:
Coma Berenices, the Pleiades, and Praesepe. This
method consists in comparing the observational
main sequence of the clusters with a grid of
theoretical ZAMSs. The stars composing the
observational main sequences had to have reliable
absolute bolometric magnitudes, coming all from
individual Hipparcos parallaxes, precise
bolometric corrections, effective temperatures and
metal abundances from high resolution detailed
spectroscopic analyses. If we assume, following
the work by Fernandez et al. (1996,
A&A,311,127), that the mixing-lenth parameter
is solar, the position of a theoretical ZAMS, in
the (log Teff,
Mbol) plane, computed with
given input physics, only depends on two free
parameters: the He content Y by mass, and the
metallicity Z by mass. If effective temperature
and metallicity of the constituting stars of the 4
clusters are previously known by means of detailed
analyses, one can deduce their helium abundances
by means of an appropriate grid of theoretical
ZAMS’s. The comparison between the empirical (log
Teff,
Mbol) main sequence of the
Hyades and the computed ZAMS corresponding to the
observed metallicity Z of the Hyades (Z= 0.0240 ±
0.0085) gives a He abundance for the Hyades, Y=
0.26 ± 0.02. Our interpretation, concerning the
observational position of the main sequence of the
three nearest clusters after the Hyades, is still
under way and appears to be greatly more difficult
than for the Hyades. For the moment we can say
that:
‒ The 15 dwarfs analysed in detailed in
Coma have a solar metallicity: [Fe/H] = -0.05 ±
0.06. However, their observational main sequence
fit better with the Hyades ZAMS.
‒ The mean metallicity of 13 Pleiades
dwarfs analysed in detail is solar. A metal
deficient and He normal ZAMS would fit better.
But, a warning for absorption in the Pleiades has
to be recalled.
‒ The upper main sequence of Praesepe,
(the more distant cluster: 180 pc) composed by 11
stars, analysed in detail, is the one which has
the best fit with the Hyades ZAMS. The deduced
‘turnoff age’ of the cluster is slightly higher
than that of the Hyades: 0.8 Gyr instead of 0.63
Gyr.