The Ionizing Star Clusters of Giant H II Regions in NGC 2403

Details The Ionizing Star Clusters of Giant H II Regions in NGC 2403 The Ionizing Star Clusters of Giant H II Regions in NGC 2403

Mar 1999

adsabs.harvard.edu/cgi-bin/nph-data_query?bibcode=1999aj....117.1249d&link_type=abstract

The Astronomical Journal, Volume 117, Issue 3, pp. 1249-1274.

Astronomy and Astrophysics

Astronomy

28

Galaxies: Individual: Ngc Number: Ngc 2403, Ism: H Ii Regions, Stars: Evolution, Stars: Wolf-Rayet

Scientific paper

We present the results of a study on the massive star population down to about M_V~-3.1, or 12-15 M_solar, of the most luminous giant H II regions in the nearby spiral galaxy NGC 2403, based on Hubble Space Telescope images and ground-based spectrograms. Particular emphasis is placed on the distribution of the Wolf-Rayet and red supergiant stars and the information they provide about the recent star-forming history of these large complexes. We find direct evidence for the presence of Wolf-Rayet (WR) stars in five of the six giant H II regions investigated; 25-40 WR stars are inferred for the sole NGC 2403-I giant H II region. Red supergiant (RSG) stars are mainly distributed over a more extended halo, while the young blue stars and most WR stars are in or close to a compact core. One appears to be seeing young cores of O and WR stars surrounded by older halos containing red supergiants. We propose a scenario in which RSG stars belonging to an early phase of star formation were followed by a more recent burst corresponding to a very blue mean sequence. Delayed trigger with preheating over several 100 pc by the first generation of massive stars allowed the build-up of the required confinement for the production of parsec-scale cluster cores with luminosity up to a few times 10^6 L_solar. Finally, we present some interesting objects found in the field of NGC 2403 outside the giant H II regions, such as field WR stars, globular clusters and background galaxies.

Affiliated with

Also associated with

No associations

Rating

The Ionizing Star Clusters of Giant H II Regions in NGC 2403 does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this scientific paper.

If you have personal experience with The Ionizing Star Clusters of Giant H II Regions in NGC 2403, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and The Ionizing Star Clusters of Giant H II Regions in NGC 2403 will most certainly appreciate the feedback.

Rate now

Comments { 0 }

Profile ID: LFWR-SCP-O-1443012