2007/11/30 by Keely D. Snider, J. J. Hester, J. Jeff Hester +4
Physics and Astronomy · #Astro and Planetary Science #Astronomy #Astrophysics #Astrophysics and Star Formation Studies #Infrared #Molecular cloud #Physics #Spitzer Space Telescope #Star formation #Stars #Stellar, planetary, and galactic studies #Young stellar object #astro-ph
paper · pdf · doi:10.1088/0004-637x/700/1/506
published as Astrophys.J.700:506-522,2009 · Accepted to the Astrophysical Journal, set to appear in Volume 701; 18 pages, 13 figures, 4 tables. This version reflects a few major changes made in the accepted version, including new figures
arxiv created 2009/06/23 · openalex publication_date 2009/07/02 · arxiv updated 2009/12/01 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/06
We present new Spitzer Space Telescope observations of the region NGC 2467, and use these observations to determine how the environment of an H ii region affects the process of star formation. Our observations comprise IRAC (3.6, 4.5, 5.8, and 8.0 μm) and MIPS (24 μm) maps of the region, covering approximately 400 arcmin 2 . The images show a region of ionized gas pushing out into the surrounding molecular cloud, powered by an O6V star and two clusters of massive stars in the region. We have identified as candidate young stellar objects (YSOs) 45 sources in NGC 2467 with infrared excesses in at least two mid-infrared colors. We have constructed color–color diagrams of these sources and have quantified their spatial distribution within the region. We find that the YSOs are not randomly distributed in NGC 2467; rather, over 75% of the sources are distributed at the edge of the H ii region, along ionization fronts driven by the nearby massive stars. The high fraction of YSOs in NGC 2467 that are found in proximity to gas that has been compressed by ionization fronts supports the hypothesis that a significant fraction of the star formation in NGC 2467 is triggered by the massive stars and the expansion of the H ii region. At the current rate of star formation, we estimate at least 25%–50% of the total population of YSOs formed by this process.