NGC 3105 UBVR photometry

We identify 126 B-type likely members within a radius of 2.7+/-0.6arcmin, which implies an initial mass, Mcl~=4100M_{sun}_. We find a distance of 7.2+/-0.7kpc for NGC 3105, placing it at R_GC_=10.0+/-1.2kpc. Isochrone fitting supports an age of 28+/-6Ma, implying masses around 9.5M_{aun}_ for the supergiants.

A high fraction of Be stars (~25%) is found at the top of the main sequence down to spectral type b3. From the spectral analysis we estimate for the cluster an average v_rad_=+46.9+/-0.9km/s and a low metallicity, [Fe/H]=-0.29+/-0.22. We also have determined, for the first time, chemical abundances for Li, O, Na, Mg, Si, Ca, Ti, Ni, Rb, Y, and Ba for the evolved stars.

The chemical composition of the cluster is consistent with that of the Galactic thin disc. An overabundance of Ba is found, supporting the enhanced s-process. NGC 3105 has a low metallicity for its Galactocentric distance, comparable to typical LMC stars.

It is a valuable spiral tracer in a very distant region of the Carina-Sagittarius spiral arm, a poorly known part of the Galaxy. As one of the few Galactic clusters containing blue, yellow, and red supergiants, it is massive enough to serve as a test bed for theoretical evolutionary models close to the boundary between intermediate- and high-mass stars.