An optical and near IR study of the old open cluster NGC 2141

We report CCD optical (B and V passbands) and near IR (J and K bands) observations in the region of the old open cluster NGC 2141. By combining the two sets of photometry (500 stars in common) we derive new estimates of the cluster's fundamental parameters. We confirm that the cluster is 2.5 Gyrs old, but, with respect to previous investigations, we obtain a slightly larger reddening (E(B-V) = 0.40), and a slightly shorter distance (3.8 kpc) from the Sun. Finally, we present the Luminosity Function (LF) in the V band, which is another age indicator. We provide a good fit for the age range inferred from isochrones by assuming the Kroupa et al. (1993) IMF up to M-V = 5.0. We interpret the disagreement at fainter magnitudes as evidence of mass segregation.