A SPITZER VIEW OF STAR FORMATION IN THE CYGNUS X NORTH COMPLEX

Journal Article · Wed Sep 01 00:00:00 EDT 2010 · Astrophysical Journal

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1088/0004-637X/720/1/679· OSTI ID:21460110

Beerer, I M ^[1]; Koenig, X P; Hora, J L; Keto, E; Smith, H A; Fazio, G G ^[2]; Gutermuth, R A ^[3]; Bontemps, S; Schneider, N ^[4]; Megeath, S T ^[5]; Motte, F ^[6]; Carey, S ^[7]; Simon, R ^[8]; Allen, L E ^[9]; Kraemer, K E; Price, S ^[10]; Mizuno, D ^[11]; Adams, J D ^[12]; Hernandez, J ^[13]; Lucas, P W ^[14]

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1. Department of Astronomy, University of California, Berkeley, CA (United States)
2. Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, 60 Garden Street, Cambridge, MA (United States)
3. Smith College, Northampton, MA (United States)
4. Observatoire de Bordeaux, BP 89, 33270 Floirac (France)
5. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Toledo, Toledo, OH (United States)
6. AIM/SAp, CEA-Saclay, 91191 Gif Sur Yvette Cedex (France)
7. Spitzer Science Center, Pasadena, CA (United States)
8. I. Physik. Institut, Universitaet zu Koeln, 50937 Koeln (Germany)
9. NOAO, 950 North Cherry Avenue, Tucson, AZ (United States)
10. Air Force Research Laboratory, Hanscom AFB, MA (United States)
11. Institute for Scientific Research, Boston College, Boston, MA (United States)
12. Cornell University, Department of Radiophysics Space Research, Ithaca, NY (United States)
13. Centro de Investigaciones de AstronomIa, Apdo. Postal 264, Merida 5101-A (Venezuela, Bolivarian Republic of)
14. Centre for Astrophysics Research, Science and Technology Research Institute, University of Hertfordshire, Hatfield (United Kingdom)

We present new images and photometry of the massive star-forming complex Cygnus X obtained with the Infrared Array Camera (IRAC) and the Multiband Imaging Photometer for Spitzer (MIPS) on board the Spitzer Space Telescope. A combination of IRAC, MIPS, UKIRT Deep Infrared Sky Survey, and Two Micron All Sky Survey data are used to identify and classify young stellar objects (YSOs). Of the 8231 sources detected exhibiting infrared excess in Cygnus X North, 670 are classified as class I and 7249 are classified as class II. Using spectra from the FAST Spectrograph at the Fred L. Whipple Observatory and Hectospec on the MMT, we spectrally typed 536 sources in the Cygnus X complex to identify the massive stars. We find that YSOs tend to be grouped in the neighborhoods of massive B stars (spectral types B0 to B9). We present a minimal spanning tree analysis of clusters in two regions in Cygnus X North. The fraction of infrared excess sources that belong to clusters with {>=}10 members is found to be 50%-70%. Most class II objects lie in dense clusters within blown out H II regions, while class I sources tend to reside in more filamentary structures along the bright-rimmed clouds, indicating possible triggered star formation.

• OSTI ID: 21460110
• Journal Information: Astrophysical Journal, Vol. 720, Issue 1; Other Information: DOI: 10.1088/0004-637X/720/1/679; ISSN 0004-637X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

79 ASTROPHYSICS
COSMOLOGY AND ASTRONOMY
PHOTOMETERS
PHOTOMETRY
SPECTRA
STAR EVOLUTION
STARS
TELESCOPES
EVOLUTION
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS