arXiv · astro-ph/0602218
The Discovery of a Population of Pre-Main Sequence Stars in N66/NGC346 from Deep HST/ACS Image
Abstract
We report the discovery of a rich population of low mass stars in the young, massive star forming region N66/NGC346 in the Small Magellanic Cloud, from deep V, I and H alpha images taken with the HST/ACS. These stars have likely formed together with the NGC346 cluster, ~3-5 Myr ago. Their magnitude and colors are those of pre-main sequence stars in the mass range 0.6-3 Mo, mostly concentrated in the main cluster, but with secondary subclusters spread over a region across ~45 pc. These subclusters appear to be spatially coincident with previously known knots of molecular gas identified in ground based and ISO observations. We show that N66/NGC346 is a complex region, being shaped by its massive stars, and the observations presented here represent a key step towards the understanding of how star formation occurred and has progressed in this low metallicity environment.
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A. Nota, M. Sirianni, E. Sabbi, M. Tosi, M. Clampin, J. Gallagher, M. Meixner, S. Oey, A. Pasquali, L. J. Smith, R. Walterbos, J. Mack. 2006-02-09. The Discovery of a Population of Pre-Main Sequence Stars in N66/NGC346 from Deep HST/ACS Image. https://doi.org/10.1086/503301
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