Distribution of early-type stars and dusty matter in the direction of the stellar cluster NGC 1893

The distribution of 255 O-B9-A2, K-G stars and interstellar dust in the direction of the stellar cluster NGC 1893 is studied using V, B-V, and U-B photometric data. Sixteen groups of stars (associations) are discovered at various distances. The first group includes 9 stars of different spectral classes of later types in the sun’s neighborhood lying at a distance of 110 pc. The next 3 groups, at distances of 420, 890, and 14300 pc, are type B associations and the remaining twelve groups are OB associations. They are designated as Aur 0.11, Aur B 0.43, Aur B 0.89, Aur OB 1.4, Aur OB 2.6, AurOB 3.8, Aur OB 4.6, Aur OB 5.4, Aur OB 6.1, Aur OB 7.4, Aur OB 9.3, Aur OB11.6, Aur OB14.3, Aur OB 17.9, Aur OB 25.9, and Aur OB 31.3. For most of these stars the absorption lies within the range from 0m.45 to 5m.41. Such high absorption may be caused by circumstellar absorption as well as by the diffuse nebula IC 410. The dusty matter is distributed nonuniformly in the Aur 0.11, Aur B 0.43, and Aur B 0.89 associations. There is no dust in the space between the associations. There is essentially no dust within the groups (associations) at distances greater than 0.9 kpc. (See Table 2.) __________ Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 50, No. 2, pp. 243–251 (May 2007).     

Determination of the rotation curve for stars of the Gould Belt using bottlinger's formulas

Based on the Hipparcos catalog and the radial velocities of stars published to date, we perform a kinematic analysis of OB stars. Parameters of the general Galactic rotation were determined from distant OB stars. We used the residual velocities of stars corrected for the general Galactic rotation to study the proper rotation of nearby OB stars. Geometrical characteristics of the Gould Belt were estimated by analyzing its kinematic parameters. We obtained parameters of peculiar solar motion as well as parameters of the proper rotation, expansion, and contraction for rotation around both the Galactic z axis and an axis perpendicular to the plane of symmetry of the disk. Kinematic parameters of the proper differential rotation were found for two age groups of nearby OB stars. Almost all of the nearby OB stars were shown to rotate in the same direction as the Galactic rotation. We constructed rotation curves.     

A revisit to agglomerates of early‐type Hipparcos stars

We study the spatial structure and sub‐structure of regions rich in Hipparcos stars with blue B_T – V_T colours. These regions, which comprise large stellar complexes, OB associations, and young open clusters, are tracers of on‐going star formation in the Galaxy. The DBSCAN (Density‐Based Spatial Clustering of Applications with Noise) data clustering algorithm is used to look for spatial overdensities of early‐type stars. Once an overdensity, “agglomerate”, is identified, we carry out a data and bibliographic compilation of their star member candidates. The actual membership in agglomerate of each early‐type star is studied based on its heliocentric distance, proper motion, and previous spectro‐photometric information. We identify 35 agglomerates of early‐type Hipparcos stars. Most of them are associated to previously known clusters and OB associations. The previously unknown P Puppis agglomerate is subject of a dedicated study with Virtual Observatory tools. It is actually a new, nearby, young open cluster (d ∼ 470 pc, age ∼ 20 Ma) with a clear radial density gradient.We list P Puppis and other six agglomerates (including NGC 2451 A, vdBH 23, and Trumpler 10) as new sites for substellar searches because of their youth, closeness, and spatial density. We investigate in detail the sub‐structure in the Orion, CMa‐Pup and Pup‐Vel OB complexes (“super‐agglomerates”). We confirm or discover some stellar overdensities in the Orion complex, like the 25 Ori group, the Horsehead region (including the σ Orionis cluster), and the η Orionis agglomerate. Finally, we derive accurate parallactic distances to the Pleiades, NGC 2451 A, and IC 2391, describe several field early‐type stars at d < 200 pc, and discuss the incompleteness of our search. (© 2008 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Molecular Clouds Toward a New OB Association in Pup-CMa

We have mapped 16 molecular clouds toward a new OB association in the Pup-CMa region to derive their physical properties. The observations were carried out in the ¹²CO (J = 1 – 0) line with the Southern millimetre-wave Telescope at Cerro Tololo, Chile. Distances have been determined kinematically using the rotation curve of Brand with R_⊙ = 8.5 kpc and V_⊙ = 220 km/s. Masses have been derived adopting a CO luminosity to H₂ conversion factor X = 3.8 . 10²⁰ molecules cm^-2 (K km/s)^-1. The observed mean radial velocity of the clouds is comparable with the mean radial velocity of stars composing an OB association in Pup-CMa; it is in favor of the close connection of clouds with these stars. __________ Published in Astrofizika, Vol. 48, No. 4, pp. 491–501 (October–December, 2005).     

26Al production in the Vela and Orion regions

The allsky image of ²⁶Al radiation at 1.809 MeV with COMPTEL suggests that clusters of massive stars dominate the Galactic production of ²⁶Al. Studies of rather well-known localized regions are most promising to further this interpretation. In the Vela region, excessive emissivity is found compared to other Galactic regions. This may be due to few prominent foreground sources, such as the Vela SNR and RX J0852.0-4622 combined; but more plausibly the star forming activity along the Vela Molecular Ridge is enhanced in general, too. In the anticenter region, the detected ²⁶Al emission appears related to nucleosynthetic activity in the Orion OB1 association: It seems plausible that ejecta are being vented into the Eridanus bubble blown by earlier massive stars’ activity.     

The distribution of bright OB stars in the Canis Major–Puppis–Vela region of the Milky Way

The picture of the young stellar groups in the Canis Major–Puppis–Vela (215°< l <275°) section of the Milky Way is studied and updated utilizing uvbyβ photometry of intrinsically luminous OB stars. We use all data from the literature to create a sample with 98 per cent completeness to 9.5 mag.
The very dense low reddened OB association CMa OB1 is confirmed at a distance of 0.99 (±0.05 s.e. ) kpc. Towards Puppis the brightest intrinsically luminous stars do not reveal Pup OB1 and Pup OB2. In the same direction, we separate two small groups, previously related to the association surrounding NGC 2439 at 3.5–4.5 kpc. The first one contains four highly reddened B-type supergiants situated in front of the cluster at 1.03 (±0.14 s.e.) kpc – much closer to the Sun than has been estimated before. The second one lies north-west from the cluster at 3.2 (±0.23 s.e.) kpc according to our estimate. In the direction to Vela, the bright OB stars are apparently embedded in a dust cloud and spread out between 0.3 and 2.5 kpc, forming clumps over this distance range.
In general, the prominent apparent young structures delineated by the brightest intrinsically luminous OB stars in the directions of Canis Major and Vela are some 20–25 per cent closer to the Sun than has previously been thought. This is in agreement with the Hipparcos results for the Galactic OB associations, and is highly likely to be caused by the overestimation of the spectroscopic distances used in the previous studies.     

On the role of a supernova in the formation of the solar system

We consider four possible scenarios relating the proto-solar cloud to the “last-minute” supernova presumed responsible for the isotopic anomalies in Allende and other meteorites. The probability that a chance supernova occurred close enough to an already-collapsing proto-solar cloud to inject sufficient matter is extremely small, even if the Sun formed in a region of enhanced supernova activity such as Orion OB1. The ambient level of ²⁶Al inside a molecular cloud in Orion is also apparently too low to account for the meteorite data, unless the supernova ejecta accumulates at the edges of the cloud and star formation occurs there preferentially. Two modes of supernova-induced star formation are discussed. In one, the supernova shock collapses a preexisting cloud; in the other, stars form within the snowplow shell of the supernova. Canis Major R1 and Monoceros R1 are possible present-day examples of such star formation regions.     

Understanding 26Al Emission from Cygnus

The COMPTEL observations of the galactic 1.809 MeV emission attributed to the radioactive decay of ²⁶Al have confirmed the diffuse nature of this interstellar emission line. One of the most significant features of the reconstructed intensity pattern is a flux enhancement towards Cygnus. This region is fairly young and contains a wealth of massive stars, most of them grouped in the Cygnus OB associations. Multi-frequency model fitting strongly supports the hypothesis of massive stars and their descendent supernovae being the dominant sources of interstellar ²⁶Al as observed by COMPTEL. Massive stars and supernovae are known to impart a large amount of kinetic energy into their surroundings causing shock regions and large cavities in the ISM. In addition, a significant fraction of the electro-magnetic radiation of these stars is emitted in the EUV regime leading to photoionisation of the surrounding medium. We applied a population synthesis model in combination with an 1D model of expanding superbubbles to the Cygnus OB associations. Besides the expected 1.809 MeV flux and the γ-ray line intensity due to interstellar ⁶⁰Fe we compute the sizes and expansion parameters of the expected HI-structures and the free–free emission intensities due to the photoionizing radiation from massive stars within this region of the sky. We discuss our present understanding of the Cygnus region with respect to the massive star census. Our model assigns about 70% of the 1.809 MeV intensity to six known OB associations, about 20% to known isolated sources and roughly 10% to an unknown diffuse component.     

A highly abnormal massive star mass function in the Orion Nebula cluster and the dynamical decay of trapezium systems

The Orion Nebula cluster (ONC) appears to be unusual on two grounds: the observed constellation of the OB stars of the entire ONC and its Trapezium at its centre implies a time-scale problem given the age of the Trapezium, and an initial mass function (IMF) problem for the whole OB star population in the ONC. Given the estimated crossing time of the Trapezium, it ought to have totally dynamically decayed by now. Furthermore, by combining the lower limit of the ONC mass with a standard IMF it emerges that the ONC should have formed at least about 40 stars heavier than  5 M_⊙  while only 10 are observed. Using the N -body experiments we (i) confirm the expected instability of the Trapezium and (ii) show that beginning with a compact OB-star configuration of about 40 stars both the number of observed OB stars after 1 Myr within 1 pc radius and a compact trapezium configuration can be reproduced. These two empirical constraints thus support our estimate of 40 initial OB stars in the cluster. Interestingly, a more-evolved version of the ONC resembles the Upper Scorpius OB association. The N -body experiments are performed with the new C-code catena by integrating the equations of motion using the chain-multiple-regularization method. In addition, we present a new numerical formulation of the IMF.     

New OB-association in Pup — CMa

A new method of determination of distances to stellar associations is proposed. This method is based on the measurements of mean thicknesses of globules of the systems of dark globules connected with that association. It is shown that the method is in good agreement with other known methods. A new grouping of OB stars in Pup-CMa is found. It is shown that this grouping has properties characteristic for OB-associations: the stars of that grouping have similar distances, similar radial velocities, the grouping is connected with molecular clouds, with Herbig-Haro objects, and cometary nebulae. All these results are in favour of this grouping to be a new OB-association. We named that association OB-association Pup-CMa. The preliminary results of¹²CO observations of molecular clouds connected with that association are also given. The radial velocities of these clouds are in good agreement with the mean radial velocity of stars in the association in Pup-CMa. Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 42, No. 2, pp. 179–188, April–June, 1999.     

A moving group of young stars in Carina–Vela

Accurate two-colour photometry and proper motions of 7096 young X-ray stars in the ROSAT All-Sky Survey Bright Star Catalogue, version 1RXS, are extracted from the Tycho-2 Catalogue. The sample is dominated by red main-sequence and possibly pre-main-sequence stars. On a global proper motion convergence map, two features are very prominent: the nearby section of the Gould Belt and the Hyades convergent point. The appearance of the Gould Belt feature with its peak at ( l =2443, b =−126) is quite similar to that of Hipparcos OB stars. When only stars with proper motions drawing close to that point are selected, strong concentrations of stars in the direction of the Sco–Cen complex are found. Another concentration, not corresponding to any known OB association, is detected between the position of the Lower Centaurus Crux and Vela OB2 associations. It is a new young moving group located in Carina and Vela, and a near extension of the Sco–Cen complex. Contrary to the classical Gould Belt OB associations, the Carina–Vela moving group has a considerable geometric depth, the closest members being as near as 30 pc from the Sun. IC 2391, one of the youngest and closest open clusters on the sky, is a part of the Carina–Vela moving group. The Carina–Vela moving group does not link the Sco–Cen complex with the Vela OB associations, because the latter is much more distant than the outer limit of the sample. It is more likely that the young late-type population of the Scorpio–Centaurus–Carina moving group stretches towards the Sun and possibly beyond it.     

Stellar associations and complexes in M33

About 460 OB associations were selected by a comparison of theUBV plates. TheUBV photographic photometry of 1944 blue stars in the associations was made. The new associations appear like cores within Humphreys and Sandage's associations. Their star content, size distribution, and mean size 80 pc confirm their identity with the OB associations in the Galaxy and in the Magellanic clouds. The boundaries of the associations are delineated mainly by the density of the resolved stars on theU plates. It is impossible to divide them into smaller areas. The genuine OB associations form groups of two or more members with a length scale of 250 pc. Their boundaries were delineated independently, but they coincide with the OB associations of Humphreys and Sandage (1980). These groups represent real concentration of blue massive stars with a large age dispersion. The star complexes unify a group of associations,Hii regions, andHi peak distribution. Their mean size is 570 pc. The extensiveHi clouds with a mean size of 1.2 kpc contain two or more star complexes. The questions related to star formation are briefly discussed.     

Star-formation modes in the solar neighborhood

We perform a study into the spatial and kinematical distribution of young open clusters in the solar neighborhood, distinguishing between Gould Belt and local Galactic disk members. We use a previous estimate of the structural parameters of both systems obtained from a sample of O to B6 stars from Hipparcos. The two star-forming regions that dominate and give the Gould Belt its characteristic inclined shape show a striking difference in their content of star clusters: while Ori OB1 is richly populated by open clusters, not a single one can be found within the boundaries of Sco OB2. This is mirrored in velocity space, translating again into an abundance of clusters in the region of the kinematic space populated by the members of Ori OB1, and a marginal number of them associated with Sco OB2. We interpret all these differences by characterizing the Orion region as a cluster complex typically surrounded by a stellar halo, and the Sco-Cen region as an OB association in the outskirts of the complex. The different contents of star clusters, the different heights above the Galactic plane and the different residual velocities of Ori OB1 and Sco OB2 can be explained in terms of their relative position with respect to the density maximum of the Local Arm in the solar neighborhood. The origin of this feature could have been the interaction of a density wave with the local interstellar medium close to the Galactic co-rotation radius.     

The ultraviolet survey of the Gould Belt: general properties of the Taurus star forming region

The Gould Belt is the local superassociation of star formation. The age of the Belt is some few 10⁷ yr, henceforth, its population is dominated by luminous young OB associations and low mass pre-main sequence stars. Attempts to unveil the low mass population have been run making use of the ROSAT all-sky survey. The all sky ultraviolet survey run by the GALaxy Evolution eXplorer (GALEX) maps several regions in the Belt. In this contribution, we present the preliminary analysis of the UV stellar population towards the Taurus region, one of the nearest and best studied regions of star formation.     

Distribution of early type stars and dusty matter in the direction of the star cluster NGC 2175

The distribution of 120 O-B9-A2 stars and of the interstellar dust in the direction of the star clusters NGC 2175 and NGC 2175s (the complex S252) is studied in terms of V, (B-V), and (U-B) data. Ten star groups (associations) are found at distances of 410, 720, 1000, 1500, 2200, 3100, 4000, 5200, 7000, and 8100 pc. Three of these, at distances of 410, 720, and 1000 pc, are type B associations. The remaining seven are OB associations. They are designated as Gem B 0.41, Gem B 0.72, Gem B 1.0, Gem OB 1.5, Gem OB 2.2, Gem OB 3.1, Gem OB 4.0, Gem OB 5.2, Gem OB 7.0, and Gem OB 8.1. The V absorption (A_V) for stars No.2, 18, 20, 23, 24, 26, 40, 41, 47, 69, 87, 88, 90, 95, 100 and 109 is estimated to be 2^m.78,4^m.72, 2^m.69, 3^m.33, 2^m.61, 2^m.86, 4^m.67, 6^m.21, 3^m.14, 3^m.92, 2^m.69, 3^m.04, 5^m.95, 5^m.95, 3^m.20 and 5^m.66, respectively. For most of these stars the absorption lies between 0^m.5 and 2^m.5. This large absorption may be caused by circumstellar absorption. The dust in the associations Gem B 0.41 and Gem B 0.72 is distributed nonuniformly. There is no dust in the space between the associations. Essentially there is no dust inside those groups (associations) which lie at distances greater than 1 kpc.Translated from Astrofizika, Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 45–57 (February 2005).     

Hierarchical star formation: stars and stellar clusters in the Gould Belt

We perform a study of the spatial and kinematical distribution of young open clusters in the solar neighbourhood, discerning between bound clusters and transient stellar condensations within our sample. Then, we discriminate between Gould Belt (GB) and local Galactic disc (LGD) members, using our previous estimate of the structural parameters of both systems obtained from a sample of O-B6 Hipparcos stars. Single membership probabilities of the clusters are also calculated in the separation process. Using this classified sample, we analyse the spatial structure and the kinematic behaviour of the cluster system in the GB. The two star formation regions that dominate and give the GB its characteristic-inclined shape show a striking difference in their content of star clusters: while Ori OB1 is richly populated by open clusters, not a single one can be found within the boundaries of Sco OB2. This is mirrored in the velocity space, translating again into an abundance of clusters in the region of the kinematic space populated by the members of Ori OB1, and a marginal number of them associated with Sco OB2. We interpret all these differences by characterizing the Orion region as a cluster complex typically surrounded by a stellar halo, and the Sco-Cen region as an OB association in the outskirts of the complex. In the light of these results, we study the nature of the GB with respect to the optical segment of the Orion Arm, and we propose that the different content of star clusters, the different heights over the Galactic plane and the different residual velocities of Ori OB1 and Sco OB2 can be explained in terms of their relative position to the density maximum of the Local Arm in the solar neighbourhood. Although morphologically intriguing, the GB appears to be the result of our local and biased view of a larger star cluster complex in the Local Arm, that could be explained by the internal dynamics of the Galactic disc.     

New Hα stars. NGC 6910 region. II.

A search for Hα objects in four fields with an overall area of about 0.14 square degrees in the region of NGC 6910 (the core of the known Cyg OB9 association) has led to the discovery of 64 emission stars, of which 49 are newly detected. The high surface density is indicative of a very rich T association or, possibly, of the projection of several T associations onto one another in this direction. The latter possibility is also indicated by the range of the R photometric stellar magnitudes of the emission stars, 9^m.68-19^m.42. A comparison with earlier observations shows that for many of the stars, the emission line intensity is variable. A P Cyg Hα line profile is recorded for the star V 1515 Cyg with an emission component equivalent width that greatly exceeds the equivalent absorption width.     

Observational approach to star formation

The observational approach to the early stages of stellar evolution has been applied to some problems relating to the formation and dissipation of stellar associations, the origin of OB field stars, and low-mass star formation in OB associations. The OB field stars ejected from parent associations are older on the average than the OB stars in the associations. The average duration of active OB-star formation in associations is evaluated. It is suggested that, under the conditions in OB associations, low-mass stars may be formed from dense protostellar objects.Translated fromAstrofizika, Vol. 39, No. 3, pp. 393–406, July–September, 1996.     

Early-type stars in the stellar associations per OB1, Sco OB1, and Cyg OB1 by observations with space telescope ‘Glazar’

The results of UV-observations at 1640 Å of the regions of stellar associations Per OB1, Sco OB1, and Cyg OB1 made with the space telescope Glazar are presented. Respectively, 42, 22, and 30 hot stars brighter than 10^m at 1640 Å were detected and measured in the mentioned stellar associations. A few of them are suspected to be variable in far UV.     

Kinematic parameters of the galactic spiral pattern from data on open star clusters and OB stars

Data on the positions, radial velocities, and proper motions of open star clusters and OB stars are used to obtain the rotation curve of the Galaxy fitted by a polynomial in inverse powers of the distances from the Galactic rotation axis. We determine the locations of the corotation region and the inner and outer Lindblad resonances using a previously estimated pattern speed. Based on data for objects of the Carina-Sagittarius and Orion arms, we have determined the distortion amplitudes of the velocity field of the Galactic disk, ?_R = ?3.97±4.79 km s^?1 and f_θ=+13.27±2.57 km s^?1.