Abstract:
We present the UBVRI CCD photometry in the region of the open cluster NGC 2421. The radius of the cluster is determined as ~3.0 arcmin using a stellar density profile. Our study indicates that the metallicity of the cluster is Z ~0.004. the reddening E(B-V)=0.42 ± 0.05 mag is determined using a two colour (U-B) versus (B-V) diagram. By combining the 2MASS JHK data with the optical data, we determined that E(J-K) =0.20±0.20 mag and E(V-K) =1.15±0.20 mag for this cluster. Colour-excess diagrams show a normal interstellar extinction law in the direction of the cluster. We determined that the distance of the cluster is 2.2±0.2 kpc by comparing the zero-age main sequence with the intrinsic colour-magnitude diagram of the cluster. The age of the cluster has been estimated as 80±20 Myr using the stellar isochrones of metallicity Z=0.004. the mass function slope x=1.2 ±0.3 has been derived by applying the corrections of field star contamination and data incompleteness. Our analyses indicate that the cluster NGC 2421 is dynamically relaxed.
