Detailed photometric study of Be 18 is difficult due to significant contamination of its field by the foreground stars. The faintness of the cluster is another complicating factor. Photometric data presented above show that Be 18 is a very rich old open cluster. The cluster age is similar to, or only slightly lower than the age of M 67. The distance of Be 18 was estimated at 5.8 kpc and its reddening is probably higher than E(B-V)=0.46. Independent spectroscopic determination of the metallicity of the cluster would allow more precise estimate of its parameters.
Acknowledgements
This work was supported by the Polish Committee of Scientific Research through grant 2P03D008.08 and by NSF grants AST 93-13620 and AST 92-16494 to Dr. Bohdan Paczynski. It is a pleasure to thank Dr. Bohdan Paczynski for his hospitality during the author's visit to Princeton.