  We report the discovery of three optical open clusters in the Milky Way. Two
clusters are in Scutum (Cluster1 at l=18.44 degrees and b=-0.42 degrees, and
Cluster2 at l=19.60 degrees and b=-1.02 degrees), thus projected not far from
the Galactic center direction, and the other is in Canis Major (Cluster3 at
l=235.61 degrees and b=-4.10 degrees), near the anti-center direction. Cluster3
is less populous than Clusters 1 and 2, but presents evidence of being a
physical system. The objects were found optically by inspecting maps obtained
from the Guide Star Catalogue and images from the Digitized Sky Survey. No
previous identification of cluster has been reported in each area so far. The
analysis was carried out with 2MASS photometry in J and H. For Cluster1 we
derive an age of 25 Myr, a reddening E(B-V)=2.18 and a distance from the Sun
1.64kpc; for Cluster2, age of 500Myr, E(B-V)=0.91 and distance 2.19kpc; finally
for Cluster3, age 32-100Myr, E(B-V)=0.94 and distance of 3.93kpc. Luminosity
and mass functions are derived for Clusters1 and 2 which, in turn, allowed us
to estimate their observed masses as 147 and 89 solar masses, respectively.
Estimated total masses, by extrapolating the mass functions to 0.08 solar mass,
amount to 382 and 614 solar masses, for the two clusters. Cluster3 has an
observed mass of 55 solar masses. The present results indicate that further
searches in the optical might still reveal new open clusters, and more so in
infrared bands.
