During the last years and decades several individual studies and large-scale spectroscopic surveys significantly improved our knowledge of the Galactic metallicity distribution based on open clusters. The availability of Gaia data provided a further step forward in our knowledge. However, still some open issues remain, for example the influence of radial migration on the interpretation of the observed gradients. We used spectroscopic metallicities from individual studies and from the APOGEE survey to compile a sample of 136 open clusters, with a membership verification based on Gaia DR2. Additionally, we present photometric metallicity estimates of 14 open clusters in a somewhat outer Galactic region. Eight age groups allow us to study the evolution of the metallicity gradient in detail, showing within the errors an almost constant gradient of about −0.06 dex/kpc. Furthermore, using the derived gradients and an analysis of the individual objects, we estimate a mean migration rate of 1 kpc/Gyr for objects up to about 2 Gyr. Here, the change of the guiding radius is clearly the main contributor. For older and dynamically hotter objects up to 6 Gyr we infer a lower migration rate of up to 0.5 kpc/Gyr. The influence of epicyclic excursions increases with age and contributes already about 1 kpc to the total migration distance after 6 Gyr. A comparison of our results with available models shows good agreement. However, there is still a lack of a suitable coverage of older objects, future studies are still needed to provide a better sampling in this respect.

We calibrated the M V , M J , M Ks and M g absolute magnitudes of red clump stars in terms of colours. M V and M g are strongly dependent on colour, while the dependence of M J and M Ks on colour is rather weak. The calibration of M V and M Ks absolute magnitudes is tested on 101 RC stars in the field SA 141. The Galactic model parameters estimated with this sample are in good agreement with earlier studies.

The Galactic orbital parameters of 159 cataclysmic variables in the Solar neighbourhood are calculated, for the first time, to determine their population types using published kinematical parameters. Population analysis shows that about 6 per cent of cataclysmic variables in the sample are members of the thick disc component of the Galaxy. This value is consistent with the fraction obtained from star count analysis. The rest of the systems in the sample are found to be in the thin disc component of the Galaxy. Our analysis revealed no halo CVs in the Solar vicinity. About 60 per cent of the thick disc CVs have orbital periods below the orbital period gap. This result is roughly consistent with the predictions of population synthesis models developed for cataclysmic variables. A kinematical age of 13 Gyr is obtained using total space velocity dispersion of the most probable thick disc CVs which is consistent with the age of thick disc component of the Galaxy.

We determined astrophysical and dynamical parameters of the open clusters (OCs) NGC 2587, Collinder 268 (Col 268), Melotte 72 (Mel 72), and Pismis 7 from Gaia DR2 photometric/astrometric data and a new technique, fitCMD. fitCMD provides (Z, Age(Gyr)) as (0.025, 0.45) for NGC 2587, (0.0025, 0.5) for Col 268, (0.011, 1.25) for Mel 72, and (0.008, 1.00) for Pismis 7, respectively. As compared to Gaia DR2 distances, the obtained photometric distances from fitCMD provide somewhat close distances. For NGC 2587 and Mel 72, both distances are in good concordance. Except for NGC 2587, the ages of the remaining OCs are higher than their relaxation times, which suggests that they are dynamically relaxed. NGC 2587 did not undergo dynamical evolution. Mel 72 and Pismis 7 with relatively flat MF slopes indicate signs of a somewhat advanced dynamical evolution, in the sense that they appear to have lost a significant fraction of their low-mass stars to the field. Pismis 7's negative/flat mass function slope indicates that its high mass stars slightly outnumber its low mass ones. Given its mild dynamical evolution, the high mass stars move toward the central region, while low-mass stars are continually being lost to the field. Col 268 presents small dimensions, which suggest a primordial origin. The outer parts of Mel 72 and Pismis 7-with large cluster radii expand with time, while Mel 72's core contracts because of dynamical relaxation.

No abstract