KINEMATIC AND SPATIAL SUBSTRUCTURE IN NGC 2264
- Hubble Fellow, National Radio Astronomy Observatory, Charlottesville, VA 22903 (United States)
- Department of Astronomy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109 (United States)
- Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA 02138 (United States)
We present an expanded kinematic study of the young cluster NGC 2264 based upon optical radial velocities measured using multi-fiber echelle spectroscopy at the 6.5 m MMT and Magellan telescopes. We report radial velocities for 695 stars, of which approximately 407 stars are confirmed or very likely members. Our results more than double the number of members with radial velocities from Fűrész et al., resulting in a much better defined kinematic relationship between the stellar population and the associated molecular gas. In particular, we find that there is a significant subset of stars that are systematically blueshifted with respect to the molecular ({sup 13}CO) gas. The detection of Lithium absorption and/or infrared excesses in this blueshifted population suggests that at least some of these stars are cluster members; we suggest some speculative scenarios to explain their kinematics. Our results also more clearly define the redshifted population of stars in the northern end of the cluster; we suggest that the stellar and gas kinematics of this region are the result of a bubble driven by the wind from O7 star S Mon. Our results emphasize the complexity of the spatial and kinematic structure of NGC 2264, important for eventually building up a comprehensive picture of cluster formation.
- OSTI ID:
- 22519947
- Journal Information:
- Astronomical Journal (Online), Vol. 149, Issue 4; Other Information: Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1538-3881
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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