CCD photometry and the stellar content of the central region of IC 1805

Images of the central region of the open cluster IC 1805 were made with a 2033 x 2044 Kodak CCD imager using broad-band filters corresponding closely to the standard B, V, R, I, system of Johnson. Calibrated magnitudes were measured for 136 stars in the cluster, and temperatures and masses were estimated for 115 of these. A mass function was derived as defined by Scalo (1986) and is compared with an earlier determination for this cluster. The mass function also is compared with that of a similar star-forming region in Cygnus and with the initial mass function of field stars. A brief overview of CCD design and operation is included, along with some specifics about the R.I.T. camera, image reduction, and photometry procedures. I