| Abstract: | The nearby young σ Orionis cluster (∼360 pc, ∼3 Myr) is becoming one of the most important regions for the study of ultra low‐mass star formation and its extension down to the mass regimes of the brown dwarfs and planetarymass objects. Here, I introduce the σ Orionis cluster and present three studies that the JOVIAN group is developing: a pilot programme of near‐infrared adaptive‐optics imaging of stars of the cluster, intermediate‐resolution optical spectroscopy of a large sample of stars of the cluster and a study of the mass function down to the planetary‐mass domain. This paper is a summary of the content of four posters that I presented in the Ultra low‐mass star formation and evolution Workshop, as single author or on behalf of different collaborations. (© 2005 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim) |
