The complex stellar populations in the lines of sight to open clusters
  in the third Galactic quadrant
  Multi-color photometry of the stellar populations in five fields in the third
Galactic quadrant centred on the clusters NGC 2215, NGC 2354, Haffner 22,
Ruprecht 11, and ESO489SC01 is interpreted in terms of a warped and flared
Galactic disk, without resort to an external entity such as the popular
Monoceros or Canis Major overdensities. Except for NGC 2215, the clusters are
poorly or unstudied previously. The data generate basic parameters for each
cluster, including the distribution of stars along the line of sight. We use
star counts and photometric analysis, without recourse to Galactic-model-based
predictions or interpretations, and confirms earlier results for NGC 2215 and
NGC 2354. ESO489SC01 is not a real cluster, while Haffner~22 is an overlooked
cluster aged about 2.5 Gyr. Conclusions for Ruprecht~11 are preliminary,
evidence for a cluster being marginal. Fields surrounding the clusters show
signatures of young and intermediate-age stellar populations. The young
population background to NGC~2354 and Ruprecht~11 lies 8-9 kpc from the Sun and
$\sim$1 kpc below the formal Galactic plane, tracing a portion of the
Norma-Cygnus arm, challenging Galactic models that adopt a sharp cut-off of the
disk 12-14 kpc from the Galactic center. The old population is metal poor with
an age of 2-3 Gyr, resembling star clusters like Tombaugh 2 or NGC 2158. It has
a large color spread and is difficult to locate precisely. Young and old
populations follow a pattern that depends critically on the vertical location
of the thin and/or thick disk, and whether or not a particular line of sight
intersects one, both, or none.
