UV-UBV photometry in NGC 595

The dereddened color-M_V diagram is best fit by a model cluster having an age of 4.5+/-1.0Myr, and hence initial masses no greater than 51M_{sun}_. A total of 13 supergiant stars and 10 candidate WR stars [Drissen et al. (1993AJ....105.1400D), and references therein] are identified with M_V=-5 to -8mag. The remainder are main-sequence O-type (98) and early B-type (>145) stars with M_V=-1 to -6mag.

The ratio of WR to O stars is WR/O=0.11+/-0.01, roughly the same as found in the core of 30 Doradus. The resulting luminosity function has a slope of alpha=-0.71. The derived IMF has a slope of Gamma=-1.32+/-0.02 before subtracting a background component, and Gamma=-1.00+/-0.05 after subtracting a background based on photometry of the surrounding WF images.

Integration of the derived IMF down to a lower mass limit of 4M_{sun}_ yields a total mass of 7350M_{sun}_, while integration down to 0.1_{Msun}_ yields a total mass of 18000M_{sun}_. The total estimated ionizing luminosity is 5.0x10^50photon/s, roughly half that which is inferred from the Halpha luminosity in this region. This shortfall of ionizing photons can be reconciled by allowing for a spread in the stellar ages, and/or increasing the modeled EUV luminosity of the stars at the inferred cluster age.