Astronomy and Astrophysics – Astronomy
Scientific paper
Jan 2011
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2011aas...21732701k&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #217, #327.01; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 43, 2011
Astronomy and Astrophysics
Astronomy
Scientific paper
Most stars form in groups and clusters. These clusters are themselves nestled within larger associations and stellar complexes. It is not yet known, however, whether stellar structures within galaxies have a bimodal or continuous size distribution. I have developed a method to uniformly select stellar groupings with sizes ranging from compact clusters ( 3 pc) to stellar complexes ( 200+ pc). This method was applied to the highest quality observations currently available for the nearby galaxies M51, NGC 4214, M83, and NGC 628, taken with the Hubble Space Telescope. Once groupings were identified, their sizes were measured to determine if there are preferred physical scales of clustering or if stars cluster continuously on all size scales. I have also determined the basic properties of these stellar structures, including luminosity, age, and mass. The derived properties are mapped and presented as a function of location, allowing trends in star formation history within galaxies to be explored.
This work has been supported by programs HST-AR 1068401A, HST-AR 12137, and HST-AR 11360, provided by NASA through a grant from the Space Telescope Science Institute, which is operated by the Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy, Inc., under NASA contract NAS5-26555. Analysis of NGC 4214 and M83 was based on Early Release Science observations made by the WFC3 Scientific Oversight Committee. We are grateful to the Director of the Space Telescope Science Institute for awarding Director's Discretionary time for this program.
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