Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astrophysics
Scientific paper
Jun 1991
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1991apj...374..533l&link_type=abstract
Astrophysical Journal, Part 1 (ISSN 0004-637X), vol. 374, June 20, 1991, p. 533-539.
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astrophysics
74
Cosmic Dust, H Ii Regions, Infrared Imagery, Molecular Clouds, Star Formation, Stellar Envelopes, Imaging Techniques, Photosphere, Star Clusters
Scientific paper
A 256 x 256 near-IR camera at NOAO to image a large portion of the M17 star formation complex. A mosaic image of total size 9 x 9 arcmin is constructed in each of three infrared colors-J, H, and K. The observations determine the size and extent of the obscured cluster of stars which excites the powerful H II region and heats the luminous dust in the adjacent molecular cloud. More than 100 OB stars are found in a clustering several parsecs in diameter within an obscured portion of the H II region. The K luminosity function of this cluster differs significantly from that of the field stars, and has the form expected from the Salpeter initial mass function. The present level of star formation activity in the adjacent molecular clouds M17 SW is found to be considerably lower than that which produced the OB cluster in the H II region. Most of the cluster members are found to have infrared colors which are not consistent with those of purely reddened stellar photospheres. These stars that display IR excesses may be surrounded by circumstellar disks.
DePoy Darren L.
Gatley Ian
Lada Charles J.
Merrill Michael K.
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