| Abstract: | A homogeneous data‐base collating all uvbyβ photometry available at present for O‐B9 stars in the field of IC 2602 is presented. The characteristics of the field are studied. Four spatially coherent groups can be distinguished. A low reddened compact group located at 156 ± 6 pc is identi.ed with IC 2602, followed by background layers at 546 ± 33 pc, 1117 ± 61 pc, and possibly at 2626 ± 163 pc. The apparent depth of the first three layers is about 1 kpc, which is consistent with the thickness of a spiral arm. There is an indication for the existence of a region free of massive luminous stars between 1.2 and 2.6 kpc, which could be associated with interarm space between the Local Association and the distant spiral structures toward Carina. A comparison between the photometric and Hipparcos parallaxes is presented. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) |
