Other
Scientific paper
Jan 2009
adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=2009aas...21344211k&link_type=abstract
American Astronomical Society, AAS Meeting #213, #442.11; Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, Vol. 41, p.320
Other
Scientific paper
We report the discovery of a previously unknown massive Galactic star cluster at l=29.22 degrees, b=-0.20 degrees in the constellation Aquila. Identified visually in mid-IR images from the Spitzer Space Telescope GLIMPSE legacy survey, the cluster contains at least 10 M-type supergiants, based on followup near-IR spectroscopy, and several other probable supergiant members having IR photometry consistent with a similar distance and reddening. We calculate a mean spectrophotometric distance of 6.4 +/- 1.3 kpc which is consistent with a kinematic distance estimate obtained from the velocities of associated molecular clouds with peak emission at VLSR= 95 km/s. The cluster lies in a local minimum of 13CO and 8 micron diffuse emission. We interpret this feature to be a hole carved out by the energetic winds of evolving massive stars. For a mean extinction of AV=12.0 mag, the color-magnitude diagram of probable cluster members is well fit by isochrones in the age range 18--24 Myr. The probable cluster mass is 20,000 solar masses. With its most massive original members likely to be deceased, there is no strong radio emission detected in this vicinity. This impressive cluster lies near two other clusters of red supergiants at a Galactocentric distance of 3.5 kpc, placing it near one end of the putative Galactic bar and within a proposed ring of stars and gas. As such, this RSG cluster is representative of adolsecent massive Galactic clusters that lie hidden behind many magnitudes of obscuration and evade notice for lack of straightforward detection mechanisms.
Alexander Magazinov
Clemens Dennis
Jameson Katherine
Kobulnicky Henry A.
Pavel Michael
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