Multicolor CCD photometry of the SMC cluster Kron 3

We present BVRI CCD photometry of 3149 stars in the SMC populous cluster Kron 3. Radial dependence of the horizontal branch morphology has been revealed. Contrary to Rich et al. (1984, ApJ, 286,517), we conclude that the cluster radius is about r=6'. We estimate the cluster metallicity as [Fe/H]=-1.26 and its apparent distance modulus as (m-M)=18(m).75. Our estimate of the cluster age, based on fitting isochrones of VandenBerg & Bell (1985, ApJs, 58, 561) to our V-(B-V) and V-(V-R) diagrams, is about 10 Gyr, the lower limit being 8 Gyr; this value is greater than those derived earlier, presumably partially due to the distance modulus values used by earlier investigators being too large. Our age estimate is not far from the upper value from Rich et al. (C) 1996 American Astronomical Society.