The open cluster Pismis 11 and the very luminous blue supergiant HD 80077

Abstract

(Abridged) The very luminous blue supergiant HD 80077 has been claimed to be a member of the young open cluster Pismis 11, and hence a hypergiant. We obtained UBVRI photometry of the cluster field and low-resolution spectroscopy of a number of putative members. We derive spectral types from the spectra and determine that the reddening in this direction is standard. We then carry out a careful photometric analysis that allows us to determine individual reddening values, deriving unreddened parameters that are used for the main sequence fit. We identify 43 likely members of Pismis 11. We study the variation of extinction across the face of the cluster and find some dispersion, with a trend to higher values in the immediate neighbourhood of HD 80077. We estimate a distance of 3.6 kpc for the cluster. If HD 80077 is a member, it has M_bol<-10.5 and it is one of the three visually brightest stars in the Galaxy. Several early type stars in the vicinity of Pismis~11 fit well the cluster sequence and are likely to represent an extended population at the same distance. About 18 arcmin to the North of Pismis 11, we find a small concentration of stars, which form a clear sequence. We identify this group as a previously uncatalogued open cluster, which we provisionally call Alicante 5. The distance to Alicante 5 is also 3.6 kpc, suggesting that these two clusters and neighbouring early-type stars form a small association. Based on its proper motion, HD 80077 is not a runaway star and may be a member of the cluster. If this is the case, it would be one of the brightest stars in the Galaxy.