Bibcode
Ramírez Alegría, S.; Marín-Franch, A.; Herrero, A.
Referencia bibliográfica
Astronomy and Astrophysics, Volume 567, id.A66, 12 pp.
Fecha de publicación:
7
2014
Revista
Número de citas
6
Número de citas referidas
6
Descripción
Context. The discovery of new, obscured massive star clusters has
changed our understanding of the Milky Way star-forming activity from a
passive to a very active star-forming machine. The search for these
obscured clusters is strongly supported by the use of all-sky, near-IR
surveys. Aims: The main goal of the MASGOMAS project is to search
for and study unknown, young, and massive star clusters in the Milky
Way, using near-IR data. Here we try to determine the main physical
parameters (distance, size, total mass, and age) of Masgomas-4, a new
double-core obscured cluster. Methods: Using near-IR photometry
(J, H, and KS) we selected a total of 21 stars as OB-type
star candidates. Multi-object, near-IR follow-up spectroscopy allowed us
to carry out the spectral classification of the OB-type candidates. Results: Of the 21 spectroscopically observed stars, ten are
classified as OB-type stars, eight as F- to early G-type dwarf stars,
and three as late-type giant stars. Spectroscopically estimated
distances indicate that the OB-type stars belong to the same cluster,
located at a distance of 1.90+1.28-0.90 kpc. Our
spectrophotometric data confirm a very young and massive stellar
population, with a clear concentration of pre-main-sequence massive
candidates (Herbig Ae/Be) around one of the cluster cores. The presence
of a surrounding H II cloud and the Herbig Ae/Be candidates indicate an
upper age limit of 5 Myr.
Proyectos relacionados
Proyecto IACOB: Una Nueva Era en el Estudio de Estrellas OB Galácticas
Massive stars has been many times claimed as Cosmic Engines and Gifts of Nature for the study of the Universe, from the Solar neighbourhood to the large-z Universe. The complete understanding of the physical properties and evolution of massive stars (and their interplay with the ISM) is crucial for many fields of Astrophysics and, ultimately, to
Sergio
Simón Díaz