Main-sequence Turnoff Research Articles

Optimal Stellar Photometry for Multi-conjugate Adaptive Optics Systems Using Science-based Metrics

Abstract We present a detailed discussion of how to obtain precise stellar photometry in crowded fields using images from multi-conjugate adaptive optics (MCAO) systems, with the intent of informing the scientific development of this key technology for the Extremely Large Telescopes. We use deep J and K s exposures of NGC 1851 taken with the Gemini Multi-Conjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS) on Gemini South to quantify the performance of the instrument and to develop an optimal strategy for stellar photometry using point-spread function (PSF)-fitting techniques. We judge the success of the various methods we employ by using science-based metrics, particularly the width of the main sequence turnoff region. We also compare the GeMS photometry with the exquisite HST data in the visible of the same target. We show that the PSF produced by GeMS possesses significant spatial and temporal variability that must be accounted for during the analysis. We show that the majority of the variation of the PSF occurs within the “control radius” of the MCAO system and that the best photometry is obtained when the PSF radius is chosen to closely match this spatial scale. We identify photometric calibration as a critical issue for next-generation MCAO systems such as those on the Thirty Meter Telescope and European Extremely Large Telescope. Our final CMDs reach K s ∼ 22—below the main sequence knee—making it one of the deepest for a globular cluster available from the ground. Theoretical isochrones are in remarkable agreement with the stellar locus in our data from below the main sequence knee to the upper red giant branch.

Abundances of the light elements from UV (HST) and red (ESO) spectra in the very old star HD 84937

Aims. In order to provide a better basis for the study of mechanisms of nucleosynthesis of the light elements beyond hydrogen and helium in the oldest stars, the abundances of C, O, Mg, Si, P, S, K, and Ca have been derived from UV-HST and visible-ESO high resolution spectra in the old, very metal-poor star HD 84937, at a metallicity that is 1/200 that of the Sun’s. For this halo main-sequence turnoff star, the abundance determination of P and S are the first published determinations. Methods. The LTE profiles of the lines were computed and fitted to the observed spectra. Wherever possible, we compared the abundances derived from the UV spectrum to abundances derived from the visible or near-infrared spectra, and also corrected the derived abundances for non-LTE effects. Three-dimensional (3D) CO5BOLD model atmospheres have been used to determine the abundances of C and O from molecular CH and OH bands. Results. The abundances of these light elements relative to iron in HD 84937 are found to agree well with the abundances of these elements in classical metal-poor stars. Our HD 84937 carbon abundance determination points toward a solar (or mildly enhanced above solar) value of [C/Fe]. The modest overabundance of the α elements of even atomic number Z, typical of halo turnoff stars, is confirmed in this example. The odd-Z element P is found to be somewhat deficient in HD 84937, at [P/Fe] = −0.32, which is again consistent with the handful of existing determinations for turnoff stars of such low metallicity. We show that the abundance of oxygen, deduced from the OH band from 3D computations, is not compatible with the abundance deduced from the red oxygen triplet. This incompatibility is explained by the existence of a chromosphere heating the shallow layers of the atmosphere where the OH band, in 3D computations, is mainly formed. Conclusions. The abundance ratios are compared to the predictions of models of galactic nucleosynthesis and evolution.

A discovery of young stellar objects in older clusters of the Large Magellanic Cloud

Abstract Recent studies have shown that an extended main-sequence turn-off is a common feature among intermediate-age clusters (1–3 Gyr) in the Magellanic Clouds. Multiple-generation star formation and stellar rotation or interacting binaries have been proposed to explain the feature. However, it remains controversial in the field of stellar populations. Here we present the main results of an ongoing star formation among older star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Cross-matching the positions of star clusters and young stellar objects has yielded 15 matches, with 7 located in the cluster centre. We demonstrate that this is not by chance by estimating local number densities of young stellar objects for each star cluster. This method is not based on isochrone fitting, which leads to some uncertainties in age estimation and methods of background subtraction. We also find no direct correlation between atomic hydrogen and the clusters. This suggests that gas accretion for fueling the star formation must be happening in situ. These findings support for the multiple-generations scenario as a plausible explanation for the extended main-sequence turn-off.

Chemical Cartography. I. A Carbonicity Map of the Galactic Halo

Abstract We present the first map of carbonicity, [C/Fe], for the halo system of the Milky Way, based on a sample of over 100,000 main-sequence turnoff stars with available spectroscopy from the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. This map, which explores distances up to 15 kpc from the Sun, reveals clear evidence for the dual nature of the Galactic halo, based on the spatial distribution of stellar carbonicity. The metallicity distribution functions of stars in the inner- and outer-halo regions of the carbonicity map reproduce those previously argued to arise from contributions of the inner- and outer-halo populations, with peaks at [Fe/H] = −1.5 and −2.2, respectively. From consideration of the absolute carbon abundances for our sample, A(C), we also confirm that the carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars in the outer-halo region exhibit a higher frequency of CEMP-no stars (those with no overabundances of heavy neutron-capture elements) than of CEMP-s stars (those with strong overabundances of elements associated with the s-process), whereas the stars in the inner-halo region exhibit a higher frequency of CEMP-s stars. We argue that the contrast in the behavior of the CEMP-no and CEMP-s fractions in these regions arises from differences in the mass distributions of the mini-halos from which the stars of the inner- and outer-halo populations formed, which gives rise in turn to the observed dichotomy of the Galactic halo.

The Effects of the Overshooting of the Convective Core on Main-sequence Turnoffs of Young- and Intermediate-age Star Clusters

Abstract Recent investigations have shown that the extended main-sequence turnoffs (eMSTOs) are a common feature of intermediate-age star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds. The eMSTOs are also found in the color–magnitude diagram of young-age star clusters. The origin of the eMSTOs is still an open question. Moreover, asteroseismology shows that the value of the overshooting parameter of the convective core is not fixed for the stars with an approximatelly equal mass. Thus the MSTO of star clusters may be affected by the overshooting of the convective core (OVCC). We calculated the effects of the OVCC with different δ ov on the MSTO of young- and intermediate-age star clusters. If δ ov varies between stars in a cluster, the observed eMSTOs of young- and intermediate-age star clusters can be explained well by the effects. The equivalent age spreads of MSTO caused by the OVCC are related to the age of star clusters and are in good agreement with observed results of many clusters. Moreover, the observed eMSTOs of NGC 1856 are reproduced by the coeval populations with different δ ov. The eMSTOs of star clusters may be relevant to the effects of the OVCC. The effects of the OVCC are similar to that of rotation in some respects. However, the effects cannot result in a significant split of the main sequence of young star clusters at . The presence of a rapid rotation can make the split of the main sequence of young star clusters more significant.

Dissecting the Extended Main Sequence Turn-off of the Young Star Cluster NGC 1850

We use the Wide Field Camera 3 onboard the Hubble Space Telescope to obtain deep, high-resolution photometry of the young (~ 100 Myr) star cluster NGC1850 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We analyze the cluster colour-magnitude diagram (CMD) and find that it hosts an extended main sequence turn-off (MSTO) and a double MS. We demonstrate that these features cannot be due to photometric errors, field star contamination, or differential reddening. From a comparison with theoretical models and Monte Carlo simulations, we show that a coeval stellar population featuring a distribution of stellar rotation rates can reproduce the MS split quite well. However, it cannot reproduce the observed MSTO region, which is significantly wider than the simulated ones. Exploiting narrow-band Halpha imaging, we find that the MSTO hosts a population of Halpha-emitting stars which are interpreted as rapidly rotating Be-type stars. We explore the possibility that the discrepancy between the observed MSTO morphology and that of the simulated simple stellar population (SSP) is caused by the fraction of these objects that are highly reddened, but we rule out this hypothesis. We demonstrate that the global CMD morphology is well-reproduced by a combination of SSPs that cover an age range of ~ 35 Myr as well as a wide variety of rotation rates. We derive the cluster mass and escape velocity and use dynamical evolution models to predict their evolution starting at an age of 10 Myr. We discuss these results and their implications in the context of the extended MSTO phenomenon.

Stellar parameters of main sequence turn-off star candidates observed with LAMOST and Kepler

Main sequence turn-off (MSTO) stars have advantages as indicators of Galactic evolution since their ages can be robustly estimated from atmospheric parameters. Hundreds of thousands of MSTO stars have been selected from the LAMOST Galactic survey to study the evolution of the Galaxy, and it is vital to derive accurate stellar parameters. In this work, we select 150 MSTO star candidates from the MSTO star sample of Xiang that have asteroseismic parameters and determine accurate stellar parameters for these stars by combining asteroseismic parameters deduced from Kepler photometry and atmospheric parameters deduced from LAMOST spectra. With this sample, we examine the age determination as well as the contamination rate of the MSTO star sample. A comparison of age between this work and Xiang shows a mean difference of 0.53 Gyr (7%) and a dispersion of 2.71 Gyr (28%). The results show that 79 of the candidates are MSTO stars, while the others are contaminations from either main sequence or sub-giant stars. The contamination rate for the oldest stars is much higher than that for younger stars. The main cause for the high contamination rate is found to be the relatively large systematic bias in the LAMOST surface gravity estimates.

HUBBLE TARANTULA TREASURY PROJECT. V. THE STAR CLUSTER HODGE 301: THE OLD FACE OF 30 DORADUS*

ABSTRACT Based on color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs) from the Hubble Space Telescope Hubble Tarantula Treasury Project (HTTP) survey, we present the star formation history of Hodge 301, the oldest star cluster in the Tarantula Nebula. The HTTP photometry extends faint enough to reach, for the first time, the cluster pre-main sequence (PMS) turn-on, where the PMS joins the main sequence. Using the location of this feature, along with synthetic CMDs generated with the latest PARSEC models, we find that Hodge 301 is older than previously thought, with an age between 26.5 and 31.5 Myr. From this age, we also estimate that between 38 and 61 Type II supernovae exploded in the region. The same age is derived from the main sequence turn-off, whereas the age derived from the post-main sequence stars is younger and between 20 and 25 Myr. Other relevant parameters are a total stellar mass of ≈8800 ± 800 M ⊙ and average reddening E(B − V) ≈ 0.22–0.24 mag, with a differential reddening δE(B − V) ≈ 0.04 mag.

A high fraction of Be stars in young massive clusters: evidence for a large population of near-critically rotating stars

Recent photometric analysis of the colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs) of young massive clusters (YMCs) have found evidence for splitting in the main sequence and extended main sequence turn-offs, both of which have been suggested to be caused by stellar rotation. Comparison of the observed main sequence splitting with models has led various authors to suggest a rather extreme stellar rotation distribution, with a minority ($10-30$\%) of stars with low rotational velocities and the remainder ($70-90$\%) of stars rotating near the critical rotation (i.e., near break-up). We test this hypothesis by searching for Be stars within two YMCs in the LMC (NGC 1850 and NGC 1856), which are thought to be critically rotating stars with decretion disks that are (partially) ionised by their host stars. In both clusters we detect large populations of Be stars at the main sequence turn-off ($\sim30-60$\% of stars), which supports previous suggestions of large populations of rapidly rotating stars within massive clusters.

HAT-P-65b AND HAT-P-66b: TWO TRANSITING INFLATED HOT JUPITERS AND OBSERVATIONAL EVIDENCE FOR THE REINFLATION OF CLOSE-IN GIANT PLANETS*

ABSTRACT We present the discovery of the transiting exoplanets HAT-P-65b and HAT-P-66b, with orbital periods of and days, masses of and , and inflated radii of and , respectively. They orbit moderately bright ( and ) stars of mass and . The stars are at the main-sequence turnoff. While it is well known that the radii of close-in giant planets are correlated with their equilibrium temperatures, whether or not the radii of planets increase in time as their hosts evolve and become more luminous is an open question. Looking at the broader sample of well-characterized close-in transiting giant planets, we find that there is a statistically significant correlation between planetary radii and the fractional ages of their host stars, with a false-alarm probability of only 0.0041%. We find that the correlation between the radii of planets and the fractional ages of their hosts is fully explained by the known correlation between planetary radii and their present-day equilibrium temperatures; however, if the zero-age main-sequence equilibrium temperature is used in place of the present-day equilibrium temperature, then a correlation with age must also be included to explain the planetary radii. This suggests that, after contracting during the pre-main-sequence, close-in giant planets are reinflated over time due to the increasing level of irradiation received from their host stars. Prior theoretical work indicates that such a dynamic response to irradiation requires a significant fraction of the incident energy to be deposited deep within the planetary interiors.

Multiple stellar populations in Magellanic Cloud clusters – V. The split main sequence of the young cluster NGC 1866

One of the most unexpected results in the field of stellar populations of the last few years is the discovery that some Magellanic Cloud globular clusters younger than ∼400 Myr exhibit bimodal main sequences (MSs) in their colour–magnitude diagrams (CMDs). Moreover, these young clusters host an extended main-sequence turn-off (eMSTO) in close analogy with what is observed in most ∼1–2 Gyr old clusters of both Magellanic Clouds. We use high-precision Hubble Space Telescope photometry to study the young star cluster NGC 1866 in the Large Magellanic Cloud. We discover an eMSTO and a split MS. The analysis of the CMD reveals that (i) the blue MS is the less populous one, hosting about one-third of the total number of MS stars; (ii) red MS stars are more centrally concentrated than blue MS stars; (iii) the fraction of blue MS stars with respect to the total number of MS stars drops by a factor of ∼2 in the upper MS with mF814W ≲ 19.7. The comparison between the observed CMDs and stellar models reveals that the observations are consistent with ∼200 Myr old highly rotating stars on the red MS, with rotation close to critical value, plus a non-rotating stellar population spanning an age interval between ∼140 and 220 Myr, on the blue MS. Noticeable, neither stellar populations with different ages only, nor coeval stellar models with different rotation rates, properly reproduce the observed split MS and eMSTO. We discuss these results in the context of the eMSTO and multiple MS phenomenon.

THE OVERLOOKED ROLE OF STELLAR VARIABILITY IN THE EXTENDED MAIN SEQUENCE OF LMC INTERMEDIATE-AGE CLUSTERS

ABSTRACT Intermediate-age star clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud show extended main sequence turnoffs (MSTOs) that are not consistent with a canonical single stellar population. These broad turnoffs have been interpreted as evidence for extended star formation and/or stellar rotation. Since most of these studies use single frames per filter to do the photometry, the presence of variable stars near the MSTO in these clusters has remained unnoticed and their impact has been totally ignored. We model the influence of Delta Scuti using synthetic CMDs, adding variable stars following different levels of incidence and amplitude distributions. We show that Delta Scuti observed at a single phase will produce a broadening of the MSTO without affecting other areas of a CMD such as the upper MS or the red clump; furthermore, the amount of spread introduced correlates with cluster age, as observed. This broadening is constrained to ages ∼1–3 Gyr when the MSTO area crosses the instability strip, which is also consistent with observations. Variable stars cannot explain bifurcarted MSTOs or the extended MSTOs seen in some young clusters, but they can make an important contribution to the extended MSTOs in intermediate-age clusters.

THE K2 M67 STUDY: AN EVOLVED BLUE STRAGGLER IN M67 FROM K2 MISSION ASTEROSEISMOLOGY*

ABSTRACT Yellow straggler stars (YSSs) fall above the subgiant branch in optical color–magnitude diagrams (CMDs), between the blue stragglers and the red giants. YSSs may represent a population of evolved blue stragglers, but none have the direct and precise mass and radius measurements needed to determine their evolutionary states and formation histories. Here we report the first asteroseismic mass and radius measurements of such a star, the yellow straggler S1237 in the open cluster M67. We apply asteroseismic scaling relations to a frequency analysis of the Kepler K2 light curve and find a mass of 2.9 ± 0.2 M ⊙ and a radius of 9.2 ± 0.2 R ⊙. This is more than twice the mass of the main-sequence turnoff in M67, suggesting that S1237 is indeed an evolved blue straggler. S1237 is the primary in a spectroscopic binary. We update the binary orbital solution and use spectral energy distribution fitting to constrain the CMD location of the secondary star. We find that the secondary is likely an upper main-sequence star near the turnoff, but a slightly hotter blue straggler companion is also possible. We then compare the asteroseismic mass of the primary to its mass from CMD fitting, finding that the photometry implies a mass and radius more than 2σ below the asteroseismic measurement. Finally, we consider formation mechanisms for this star and suggest that S1237 may have formed from dynamical encounters resulting in stellar collisions or a binary merger.

A NEW MILKY WAY SATELLITE DISCOVERED IN THE SUBARU/HYPER SUPRIME-CAM SURVEY

ABSTRACT We report the discovery of a new ultra-faint dwarf satellite companion of the Milky Way (MW) based on the early survey data from the Hyper Suprime-Cam Subaru Strategic Program. This new satellite, Virgo I, which is located in the constellation of Virgo, has been identified as a statistically significant (5.5σ) spatial overdensity of star-like objects with a well-defined main sequence and red giant branch in the color–magnitude diagram. The significance of this overdensity increases to 10.8σ when the relevant isochrone filter is adopted for the search. Based on the distribution of the stars around the likely main-sequence turnoff at r ∼ 24 mag, the distance to Virgo I is estimated as 87 kpc, and its most likely absolute magnitude calculated from a Monte Carlo analysis is M V = −0.8 ± 0.9 mag. This stellar system has an extended spatial distribution with a half-light radius of pc, which clearly distinguishes it from a globular cluster with comparable luminosity. Thus, Virgo I is one of the faintest dwarf satellites known and is located beyond the reach of the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. This demonstrates the power of this survey program to identify very faint dwarf satellites. This discovery of Virgo I is based only on about 100 square degrees of data, thus a large number of faint dwarf satellites are likely to exist in the outer halo of the MW.

G64-12 AND G64-37 ARE CARBON-ENHANCED METAL-POOR STARS

ABSTRACT We present new high-resolution chemical-abundance analyses for the well-known high proper-motion subdwarfs G64-12 and G64-37, based on very high signal-to-noise ratio spectra ( ) with resolving power R ∼ 95,000. These high-quality data enable the first reliable determination of the carbon abundances for these two stars; we classify them as carbon-enhanced metal-poor (CEMP) stars based on their carboni cities, which both exceed [C/Fe] = +1.0. They are sub-classified as CEMP-no Group-II stars, based on their location in the Yoon–Beers diagram of absolute carbon abundance, A(C) versus [Fe/H], as well as on the conventional diagnostic [Ba/Fe]. The relatively low absolute carbon abundances of CEMP-no stars, in combination with the high effective temperatures of these two stars ( ), weakens their CH molecular features to the point that accurate carbon abundances can only be estimated from spectra with very high S/N. A comparison of the observed abundance patterns with the predicted yields from massive, metal-free supernova models reduces the inferred progenitor masses by factors of ∼2–3, and explosion energies by factors of ∼10–15, compared to those derived using previously claimed carbon-abundance estimates. There are certainly many more warm CEMP-no stars near the halo main-sequence turnoff that have been overlooked in past studies, directly impacting the derived frequencies of CEMP-no stars as a function of metallicity, a probe that provides important constraints on Galactic chemical evolution models, the initial mass function in the early universe, and first-star nucleosynthesis.

THE AGE OF THE YOUNG BULGE-LIKE POPULATION IN THE STELLAR SYSTEM TERZAN 5: LINKING THE GALACTIC BULGE TO THE HIGH-Z UNIVERSE*

ABSTRACT The Galactic bulge is dominated by an old, metal-rich stellar population. The possible presence and the amount of a young (a few gigayears old) minor component is one of the major issues debated in the literature. Recently, the bulge stellar system Terzan 5 was found to harbor three sub-populations with iron content varying by more than one order of magnitude (from 0.2 up to two times the solar value), with chemical abundance patterns strikingly similar to those observed in bulge field stars. Here we report on the detection of two distinct main-sequence turnoff points in Terzan 5, providing the age of the two main stellar populations: 12 Gyr for the (dominant) sub-solar component and 4.5 Gyr for the component at super-solar metallicity. This discovery classifies Terzan 5 as a site in the Galactic bulge where multiple bursts of star formation occurred, thus suggesting a quite massive progenitor possibly resembling the giant clumps observed in star-forming galaxies at high redshifts. This connection opens a new route of investigation into the formation process and evolution of spheroids and their stellar content.

An analysis of the population of extended main-sequence turn-off clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud

We combine a number of recent studies of the extended main sequence turn-off (eMSTO) phenomenon in intermediate age stellar ($1-2$ Gyr) clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) in order to investigate its origin. By employing the largest sample of eMSTO LMC clusters so far used, we show that cluster core radii, masses, and dynamical state are not related to the genesis of eMSTOs. Indeed, clusters in our sample have core radii, masses and age-relaxation time ratios in the range $\approx$ 2--6 pc, 3.35- 5.50 (log($M_{cls}$/$M_\odot$) and 0.2-8.0, respectively. These results imply that the eMSTO phenomenon is not caused by actual age spreads within the clusters. Furthermore, we confirm from a larger cluster sample recent results including young eMSTO LMC clusters, that the FWHM at the MSTOs correlates most strongly with cluster age, suggesting that a stellar evolutionary effect is the underlying cause.

HUBBLE SPACE TELESCOPE PROPER MOTION (HSTPROMO) CATALOGS OF GALACTIC GLOBULAR CLUSTERS. IV. KINEMATIC PROFILES AND AVERAGE MASSES OF BLUE STRAGGLER STARS∗

ABSTRACT We make use of the Hubble Space Telescope proper-motion catalogs derived by Bellini et al. to produce the first radial velocity dispersion profiles for blue straggler stars (BSSs) in Galactic globular clusters (GCs), as well as the first dynamical estimates for the average mass of the entire BSS population. We show that BSSs typically have lower velocity dispersions than stars with mass equal to the main-sequence turnoff mass, as one would expect for a more massive population of stars. Since GCs are expected to experience some degree of energy equipartition, we use the relation , where η is related to the degree of energy equipartition, along with our velocity dispersion profiles to estimate BSS masses. We estimate η as a function of cluster relaxation from recent Monte Carlo cluster simulations by Bianchini et al. and then derive an average mass ratio and an average mass M ⊙ from 598 BSSs across 19 GCs. The final error bars include any systematic errors that are random between different clusters, but not any potential biases inherent to our methodology. Our results are in good agreement with the average mass of M ⊙ for the 35 BSSs in Galactic GCs in the literature with properties that have allowed individual mass determination.

Sodium abundances of AGB and RGB stars in Galactic globular clusters

Galactic globular clusters (GC) are known to have multiple stellar populations and be characterised by similar chemical features, e.g. O-Na anti-correlation. While second-population stars, identified by their Na overabundance, have been found from the main sequence turn-off up to the tip of the red giant branch in various Galactic GCs, asymptotic giant branch (AGB) stars have rarely been targeted. The recent finding that NGC 6752 lacks an Na-rich AGB star has thus triggered new studies on AGB stars in GCs, since this result questions our basic understanding of GC formation and stellar evolution theory. In order to compare the Na abundance distributions of AGB and RGB stars in Galactic GCs and investigate whether the presence of Na-rich stars on the AGB is metallicity-dependent, we obtained the high-resolution spectra with the multi-object high-resolution spectrograph FLAMES on ESO/VLT for a sample of AGB and RGB stars in the Galactic GC NGC 2808. The accurate Na abundances were derived for 31 AGB and 40 RGB stars. We find that NGC 2808 has a mean metallicity of -1.11 $\pm$ 0.08 dex, in good agreement with earlier analyses. Comparable Na abundance dispersions are derived for our AGB and RGB samples, with the AGB stars being slightly more concentrated than the RGB stars. The ratios of Na-poor first-population to Na-rich second-population stars are 45:55 in the AGB sample and 48:52 in the RGB sample. NGC 2808 has Na-rich second-population AGB stars, which turn out to be even more numerous - in relative terms - than their Na-poor AGB counterparts and the Na-rich stars on the RGB. Our findings are well reproduced by the fast rotating massive stars scenario and they do not contradict the recent results that there is not an Na-rich AGB star in NGC 6752. NGC 2808 thus joins the larger group of Galactic GCs for which Na-rich second-population stars on the AGB have recently been found.

FIRST OBSERVATIONAL SIGNATURE OF ROTATIONAL DECELERATION IN A MASSIVE, INTERMEDIATE-AGE STAR CLUSTER IN THE MAGELLANIC CLOUDS

ABSTRACT While the extended main-sequence turnoffs (eMSTOs) found in almost all 1–2 Gyr old star clusters in the Magellanic Clouds are often explained by postulating extended star formation histories (SFHs), the tight subgiant branches (SGBs) seen in some clusters challenge this popular scenario. Puzzlingly, the SGB of the eMSTO cluster NGC 419 is significantly broader at bluer than at redder colors. We carefully assess and confirm the reality of this observational trend. If we would assume that the widths of the features in color–magnitude space were entirely owing to a range in stellar ages, the SFHs of the eMSTO stars and the blue SGB region would be significantly more prolonged than that of the red part of the SGB. This cannot be explained by assuming an internal age spread. We show that rotational deceleration of a population of rapidly rotating stars, a currently hotly debated alternative scenario, naturally explains the observed trend along the SGB. Our analysis shows that a “converging” SGB could be produced if the cluster is mostly composed of rapidly rotating stars that slow down over time owing to the conservation of angular momentum during their evolutionary expansion from main-sequence turnoff stars to red giants.