The blue compact dwarf galaxy NGC 5253 hosts a very young central starburst. The center contains intense radio thermal emission from a massive ultracompact H II region (or "supernebula") and two massive and very young super star clusters (SSCs), which are seen at optical and infrared wavelengths. The spatial correspondence between these three objects over an area of < 0.5 arcsec is very uncertain, and it is usually assumed that one of the optically-detected SSCs coincides with the supernebula. Using the Gaia Data Release 2 catalog, we improve the absolute astrometry of Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet, optical and infrared images by a factor of ~10 and match them to the radio observations with an accuracy of 10-20 mas. We find that there are 3 SSCs at the center of NGC 5253. At optical wavelengths, the two SSCs lie either side of the supernebula, which coincides with a highly obscured region. In the infrared, all 3 SSCs are seen with the supernebula dominating at the longest wavelengths. We examine the properties of the SSCs, which have ages of ~ 1 Myr, are very compact (<0.6 pc) and separated by projected distances of only 1.5 and 5.8 pc. It seems likely that they will merge and may form the building blocks for nuclear star clusters.
We investigate the spatial regularity in the distribution of the young stellar population along spiral arms of three late type spiral galaxies: NGC 895, NGC 5474, and NGC 6946. This study is based on an analysis of photometric properties of spiral arms using {\it GALEX} ultraviolet, optical UBVRI, Halpha, and 8mum {IRAC} infrared surface photometry data. Using the Fourier analysis approach, we found features of spatial regularity or quasi-regularity in the distribution of the young stellar population or (and) regular chains of star formation regions in all arms of NGC 895, NGC 5474, and NGC 69…
The recent star formation history (SFH) in the outer disk of NGC 300 is presented through the analysis of color magnitude diagrams (CMDs). We analyze resolved stellar photometry by creating CMDs from four Hubble Space Telescope fields containing a combination of images from the Advanced Camera for Surveys and the UVIS imager aboard the Wide Field Camera 3. From the best models of these CMDs, we derive the SFH in order to extract the young stellar component for the past 200 Myrs. We find that the young stellar disk of NGC 300 is unbroken out to at least ${\sim}$8 scale lengths (including an upp…
We report the serendipitous young Large Magellanic Cloud cluster, NGC 1971, exhibits an extended main-sequence turnoff (eMSTO) possibly originated by mostly a real age spread. We used CT1 Washington photometry to produce a colour-magnitude diagram (CMD) with the fiducial cluster features. From its eMSTO, we estimated an age spread of ~ 170 Myr (observed age range 100-280 Myr), once observational errors, stellar binarity, overall metalicity variations and stellar rotation effects were subtracted in quadrature from the observed age width.
The relative contribution of various physical processes to the spatial and temporal distribution of molecular clouds and star-forming regions in the disks of galaxies has not been fully studied. The spatial regularity in the distribution of the young stellar population in spiral and ring structures is a good test to study this contribution. We investigate photometric properties of the ring and spiral arms in the barred spiral galaxy NGC 6217 based on analysis of GALEX ultraviolet, optical UBVRI and Halpha surface photometry data. The ring in the galaxy is located near the corotation area. A sp…
The conventional picture of coeval, chemically homogeneous, populous star clusters -- known as `simple stellar populations' (SSPs) -- is a view of the past. Photometric and spectroscopic studies reveal that almost all ancient globular clusters in the Milky Way and our neighbouring galaxies exhibit star-to-star light-element abundance variations, typically known as 'multiple populations' (MPs). Here, we analyse photometric $\it Hubble$ $\it Space$ $\it Telescope$ observations of three young ($<$2 Gyr-old) Large and Small Magellanic Cloud clusters, NGC 411, NGC 1718 and NGC 2213. We measure the …
High-resolution spectroscopic observations were taken of 29 extended main sequence turn-off (eMSTO) stars in the young ($\sim$200 Myr) LMC cluster, NGC 1866 using the Michigan/Magellan Fiber System and MSpec spectrograph on the Magellan-Clay 6.5-m telescope. These spectra reveal the first direct detection of rapidly rotating stars whose presence has only been inferred from photometric studies. The eMSTO stars exhibit H-alpha emission (indicative of Be-star decretion disks), others have shallow broad H-alpha absorption (consistent with rotation $\gtrsim $150 km s$^{-1}$), or deep H-alpha core a…
We present the results of our study of starforming regions in the lenticular galaxy NGC 4324. During a complex analysis of multiwavelength observational data -- the narrow-band emission-line images obtained with the 2.5-m telescope at the Caucasus Mountain Observatory of the Sternberg Astronomical Institute of the Moscow State University and the archival images in the broad bands of the SDSS, GALEX and WISE surveys -- we have detected young starforming complexes (clumps) located in the inner ring of the lenticular galaxy NGC 4324, and we have established a regular pattern of their distribution…
We studied 102 star forming regions in seven spiral galaxies (NGC 628, NGC 783, NGC 2336, NGC 6217, NGC 6946, NGC 7331, and NGC 7678) on the basis of complex spectroscopic, photometric (UBVRI) and spectrophotometric (H alpha line) observations. Using data on the chemical composition and absorption in HII regions, obtained from spectroscopic observations, and using evolutionary models, we estimated physical parameters (ages and masses) of young stellar groupings embedded in HII regions. We found that the gas extinction, A(gas), which determined from the Balmer decrement, does not correspond in …
The very young open cluster (OC) NGC 2244 in the Rosette Nebula was studied with field-star-decontaminated 2MASS photometry, which shows the main-sequence (MS) stars and an abundant pre-MS (PMS) population. Fundamental and structural parameters were derived with colour-magnitude diagrams (CMDs), stellar radial density profiles (RDPs) and mass functions (MFs). Most previous studies centred NGC 2244 close to the bright K0V star 12 Monocerotis, which is not a cluster member. Instead, the near-IR RDP indicates a pronounced core near the O5 star HD 46150. We derive an age within 1--6 Myr, an absorp…
Recently, Li et al. (2016) claimed to have found evidence for multiple generations of stars in the intermediate age clusters NGC 1783, NGC 1696 and NGC 411 in the Large and Small Magellanic Clouds (LMC/SMC). Here we show that these young stellar populations are present in the field regions around these clusters and are not likely associated with the clusters themselves. Using the same datasets, we find that the background subtraction method adopted by the authors does not adequately remove contaminating stars in the small number Poisson limit. Hence, we conclude that their results do not provi…
Small kinematically-decoupled stellar discs with scalelengths of a few tens of parsec are known to reside in the centre of galaxies. Different mechanisms have been proposed to explain how they form, including gas dissipation and merging of globular clusters. Using archival Hubble Space Telescope imaging and ground-based integral-field spectroscopy, we investigated the structure and stellar populations of the nuclear stellar disc hosted in the interacting SB0 galaxy NGC 1023. The stars of the nuclear disc are remarkably younger and more metal rich with respect to the host bulge. These findings …
In the first few Myr the massive stars dynamically interact, produce runaways and affect the initial binary population. Observing and interpreting the dynamics of young massive clusters is key to our understanding of the star formation process and predicting the outcome of stellar evolution. We have studied NGC6611 in the Eagle Nebula (M16), a young massive cluster hosting 19 O stars. We used Gaia EDR3 data to determine the membership, age, cluster dynamics and the kinematics of the massive stars including runaways. The membership analysis yields 137 members located at a mean distance of 1706 …
Astrophysical parameters (age, reddening, distance, radius, luminosity function, mass function, total mass, relaxation time and mass segregation) have been estimated for open clusters NGC 2571, NGC 6802, Koposov 53 and Be 89 by using the Two Micron All Sky Survey (2MASS) photometry. We analyse the color-magnitude diagrams and stellar radial density profiles. We have found that NGC 2571 is the youngest one having young main sequence stars while Be 89 is the oldest cluster.
We use deep images acquired with the Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) on board of the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) in the filters F555W and F814W to characterize the properties of NGC 376, a young star cluster located in the wing of the Small Magellanic Cloud (SMC). Using isochrone fitting we derive for NGC 376 an age of 28+/-7 Myr, in good agreement with previous studies. The high spatial resolution ACS data allow us to determine the center of gravity of the cluster and to construct extended surface brightness and radial density profiles. Neither of these profiles can be fitted with a theore…
The aim of this work is to investigate the characteristics of the young stellar population in the spiral galaxy NGC 247. In particular, we focused our attention in its hierarchical clustering distributions and the properties of the smallest groups. We used multiband Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data from three fields covering more than half of NGC 247 to select the young population. Then, through the path linkage criterion (PLC), we found compact young star groups, and estimated their fundamental parameters, such as their stellar densities, sizes, amount of members and luminosity function (LF)…
We use integrated-light spectroscopic observations to measure metallicities and chemical abundances for two extragalactic young massive star clusters (NGC1313-379 and NGC1705-1). The spectra were obtained with the X-Shooter spectrograph on the ESO Very Large Telescope. We compute synthetic integrated-light spectra, based on colour-magnitude diagrams for the brightest stars in the clusters from Hubble Space Telescope photometry and theoretical isochrones. Furthermore, we test the uncertainties arising from the use of Colour Magnitude Diagram (CMD) +Isochrone method compared to an Isochrone-Only…
We present integrated-light spectra of 8 Young Massive Clusters (YMCs) in the metal-rich spiral galaxy NGC 5236 (M 83). The observations were taken with the X-Shooter spectrograph on the ESO Very Large Telescope. Through the use of theoretical isochrones and synthetic integrated-light (IL) spectra we derive metallicities and study the radial metallicity gradient observed through these young populations. For the inner regions of the galaxy we observe a relatively shallow metallicity gradient of $-$0.37 $\pm$0.29 dex R$_{25}^{-1}$, agreeing with chemical evolution models with an absence of infal…
We analyze spectroscopic observations of five young massive clusters (YMCs) in the barred spiral galaxy NGC 1313 to obtain detailed abundances from their integrated light. Our sample of YMCs was observed with the X-Shooter spectrograph on the Very Large Telescope (VLT). We make use of theoretical isochrones to generate synthetic integrated-light spectra, iterating on the individual elemental abundances until converging on the best fit to the observations. We measure abundance ratios for [Ca/Fe], [Ti/Fe], [Mg/Fe], [Cr/Fe], and [Ni/Fe]. We estimate an Fe abundance gradient of $-$0.124 $\pm$ 0.03…
ALMA observations of CO(1-0) emission in the interacting galaxies IC 2163 and NGC 2207 are used to determine the properties of molecular clouds and their association with star-forming regions observed with the Hubble Space Telescope. Half of the CO mass is in 249 clouds each more massive than 4.0x10^5Mo. The mass distribution functions for the CO clouds and star complexes in a galactic-scale shock front in IC 2163 both have a slope on a log-log plot of -0.7, similar to what is observed in Milky Way clouds. The molecular cloud mass function is steeper in NGC 2207. The CO distribution in NGC 220…
We present high resolution (R = 75,000-100,000) mid-infrared spectra of the high-mass embedded young star IRS 1 in the NGC 7538 star-forming region. Absorption lines from many rotational states of C2H2, 13C12CH2, CH3, CH4, NH3, HCN, HNCO, and CS are seen. The gas temperature, column density, covering factor, line width, and Doppler shift for each molecule are derived. All molecules were fit with two velocity components between -54 and -63 km/s. We find high column densities (~ 10e16 cm^2) for all the observed molecules compared to values previously reported and present new results for CH3 and …
We present a study of the young population in the starburst galaxy NGC 253. In particular, we focused our attention on searching young star groups, obtaining their main properties and studying their hierarchical organization. For this task, we used multiband images and their corresponding photometric data obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys of the Hubble Space Telescope (ACS/HST). We have first derived the absorption affecting the different regions of the galaxy. Then, we applied an automatic and objective searching method over the corrected data in order to detect young star groups.…
We have analyzed two epochs of HST/WFPC2 observations of the young Galactic starburst cluster in NGC 3603 with the aim to study its internal dynamics and stellar population. Relative proper motions measured over 10.15 yrs of more than 800 stars enable us to distinguish cluster members from field stars. The best-fitting isochrone yields Av=4.6-4.7 mag, a distance of 6.6-6.9 kpc, and an age of 1 Myr for NGC 3603 Young Cluster (NYC). We identify pre-main-sequence/main-sequence transition stars located in the short-lived radiative-convective gap, which in the NYC occurs in the mass range 3.5-3.8 M…
Near-ultraviolet (NUV) spectroscopic studies have suggested that passively evolving massive, early-type galaxies host sub-one percent fractions of young stars in their innermost regions. We shed light on the origin of these stars by analysing NGC 1277, a widely studied nearby prototypical massive compact relic galaxy. These are rare galaxies that have survived without experiencing significant size evolution via accretion and mergers since their formation at high redshift. We obtain a spectrum in the UV range within the central 1 kpc region of NGC 1277. We compare a carefully selected set of op…
Galactic star clusters are known to harbour a significant amount of binary stars, yet their role in the dynamical evolution of the cluster as a whole is not comprehensively understood. We investigated the influence of binary stars on the total mass estimate for the case of the moderately populated Galactic star cluster NGC 225. The analysis of multi-epoch radial velocities of the 29 brightest cluster members, obtained over two observational campaigns, in 1990-1991 and in 2019-2020, yields a value of binary fraction of $α=0.52$ (15 stars out of 29). Using theoretical isochrones and Monte Carlo …
Aims: The purpose of this work is to study the properties of the spatial distribution of the young population in three nearby galaxies in order to better understand the first stages of star formation. Methods: We used ACS/HST photometry and the "path-linkage criterion" in order to obtain a catalog of young stellar groups (YSGs) in the galaxy NGC 2403. We studied the internal distribution of stars in these YSGs using the Q parameter. We extended these analyses to the YSGs detected in in NGC 300 and NGC 253 our previous works. We built the young stars' density maps for these three galaxies. Thro…
The purpose of this work is to understand the global characteristics of the stellar populations in NGC 300. In particular, we focused our attention on searching young star groups and study their hierarchical organization. The research was conducted using archival point spread function fitting photometry measured from images in multiple bands obtained with the Advanced Camera for Surveys of the Hubble Space Telescope. Using the path linkage criterion, we cataloged young star groups and analyzed them from the observation of individual stars in the galaxy NGC 300. We also built stellar density ma…
We investigate the young (proto)stellar population in NGC 2023 and the L 1630 molecular cloud bordering the HII region IC 434, using Spitzer IRAC and MIPS archive data, JCMT SCUBA imaging and spectroscopy as well as targeted BIMA observations of one of the Class 0 protostars, NGC 2023 MM1. We have performed photometry of all IRAC and MIPS images, and used color-color diagrams to identify and classify all young stars seen within a 22'x26' field along the boundary between IC 434 and L 1630. For some stars, which have sufficient optical, IR, and/or sub-millimeter data we have also used the online…
Deep JHK-Brg photometry of the southern arm of the grand-design spiral galaxy NGC 2997 was obtained by ISAAC/VLT. All sources in the field brighter than K=19 mag were located. Color-color diagrams were used to identify young stellar complexes among the extended sources. Ages can be estimated for the youngest complexes and correlated with azimuthal distances from the spiral arms defined by the K-band intensity variation. The extended sources with Mk <-12 mag display a diffuse appearance and are more concentrated inside the arm region than fainter ones, which are compact and uniformly distribute…
The dust cloud TGU H645 P2 and embedded in it young open cluster NGC 7129 are investigated using the results of medium-band photometry of 159 stars in the Vilnius seven-colour system down to V = 18.8 mag. The photometric data were used to classify about 50 percent of the measured stars in spectral and luminosity classes. The extinction A_V vs. distance diagram for the 20x20 arcmin area is plotted for 155 stars with two-dimensional classification from the present and the previous catalogues. The extinction values found range between 0.6 and 3.4 mag. However, some red giants, located in the dire…
NGC 602 is a young, low-metallicity star cluster in the "Wing" of the Small Magellanic Cloud. We reveal the recent evolutionary past of the cluster through analysis of high-resolution ($\sim$0.4 pc) Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array observations of molecular gas in the associated $\textrm{H}\scriptstyle\mathrm{II}$ region N90. We identify 110 molecular clumps ($R <$ 0.8 pc) traced by CO emission, and study the relationship between the clumps and associated young stellar objects (YSOs) and pre-main-sequence (PMS) stars. The clumps have high virial parameters (typical $α_{\rm{vir}} = …
The spectroscopic and photometric signals of the star-to-star abundance variations found in globular clusters seem to be correlated with global parameters like the cluster's metallicity, mass and age. Understanding this behaviour could bring us closer to the origin of these intriguing abundance spreads. In this work we use deep HST photometry to look for evidence of abundance variations in the main sequence of a young massive cluster NGC 419 ($\sim10^5$ M$_{\odot}$, $\sim1.4$ Gyr). Unlike previous studies, here we focus on stars in the same mass range found in old globulars ($\sim0.75-1$ M$_{\…
We present a detailed chemical abundance analysis of the young massive cluster (YMC) NGC 1569-B. The host galaxy, NGC~1569, is a dwarf irregular starburst galaxy at a distance of 3.36$\pm$0.20 Mpc. We determined the abundance ratios from the analysis of an optical integrated-light spectrum of NGC 1569-B, obtained with the HIRES echelle spectrograph on the Keck I telescope. We considered different red-to-blue supergiant ratios, namely: the ratio obtained from a theoretical isochrone, the ratio obtained from a resolved colour-magnitude diagram of the YMC, and the ratio that minimises the $χ^2$ w…
We present multi-object spectroscopy of the inner zone of the globular cluster (GC) system associated with the intermediate-age merger remnant NGC 1316. Using the multi-object mode of the GMOS camera, we obtained spectra for 35 GCs. We find pieces of evidence that the innermost GCs of NGC 1316 rotate almost perpendicular to the stellar component of the galaxy. In a second stage, we determined ages, metallicities and α-element abundances for each GC present in the sample, through the measurement of different Lick/IDS indices and their comparison with simple stellar population models. We confirm…
Currently there are two competing scenarios to explain the origin of the stellar population in globular clusters (GCs). The main difference between them is whether or not multiple events of star formation took place within GCs. In this paper we present the star formation history (SFH) of Cluster 1, a massive young cluster in NGC 34 $(\sim10^7\mbox{ M}_\odot)$. We use DynBaS, a spectrum fitting algorithm, to retrieve the SFH and find that Cluster 1 is consistent with a single stellar population of solar metallicity with an age of $100\pm30$ Myr and a mass of $1.9\pm0.4\times10^7\mbox{ M}_\odot$…
Multiple stellar populations (MPs) representing star-to-star light-element abundance variations are common in nearly all ancient Galactic globular clusters. Here we provide the strongest evidence yet that the populous, ~ 1.7 Gyr-old Large Magellanic Cloud cluster NGC 2173 also exhibits light-element abundance variations. Thus, our results suggest that NGC 2173 is the youngest cluster for which MPs have been confirmed to date. Our conclusion is based on the distinct bifurcation at the tip of its red-giant branch in high-quality color--magnitude diagrams generated from Hubble Space Telescope ima…
Using high-resolution data sets obtained with the Hubble Space Telescope, we investigate the radial distributions of the F-type main-sequence binary fractions in the massive young Large Magellanic Cloud star clusters NGC 1805 and NGC 1818. We apply both an isochrone-fitting approach and chi^2 minimization using Monte Carlo simulations, for different mass-ratio cut-offs, q, and present a detailed comparison of the methods' performance. Both methods yield the same radial binary fraction profile for the same cluster, which therefore supports the robustness and applicability of either method to yo…
We present HK spectra of three sources located in the N66 region of the Small Magellanic Cloud. The sources display prominent stellar Br Gamma and extended H2 emission, and exhibit infrared excesses at lambda > 2 micron. Based on their spectral features, and photometric spectral energy distributions, we suggest that these sources are massive young stellar objects (mYSOs). The findings are interpreted as evidence of on-going high mass star formation in N66.
The recent discovery of double main sequences in the young, massive star cluster NGC 1856 has caught significant attention. The observations can be explained by invoking two stellar generations with different ages and metallicities or by a single generation of stars composed of two populations characterized by different rotation rates. We analyzed the number ratios of stars belonging to both main-sequence components in NGC 1856 as a function of radius. We found that their number ratios remain approximately unchanged from the cluster's central region to its periphery, indicating that both compo…
Recent discoveries have put the picture of stellar clusters being simple stellar populations into question. In particular, the color-magnitude diagrams of intermediate age (1-2 Gyr) massive clusters in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC) show features that could be interpreted as age spreads of 100-500 Myr. If multiple generations of stars are present in these clusters then, as a consequence, young (<1 Gyr) clusters with similar properties should have age spreads of the same order. In this paper we use archival Hubble Space Telescope (HST) data of eight young massive LMC clusters (NGC 1831, NGC 1…
Bifurcated patterns of blue straggler stars in their color--magnitude diagrams have atracted significant attention. This type of special (but rare) pattern of two distinct blue straggler sequences is commonly interpreted as evidence of cluster core-collapse-driven stellar collisions as an efficient formation mechanism. Here, we report the detection of a bifurcated blue straggler distribution in a young Large MagellanicCloud cluster, NGC 2173. Because of the cluster's low central stellar number density and its young age, dynamical analysis shows that stellar collisions alone cannot explain the …
A primordial group of open clusters containing NGC 6871 is confirmed and described through Gaia DR3 data and the previous literature. It is a star-forming complex containing at least six young OCs, including Teutsch 8, FSR 198 and Biurakan 2. Two nearby OCs (Casado 82 and Casado-Hendy 1) are newly identified and studied in detail and found to be also members of the cited group. The parameters of the components are sufficiently similar to postulate the case of at least six clusters born from a single GMC. None of the cluster pairs of the group seems to be an authentic binary cluster, with the p…
We present multiwavelength linear polarimetric observations of 104 stars towards the region of young open cluster NGC 6823. The polarization towards NGC 6823 is dominated by foreground dust grains and we found the evidence for the presence of several layers of dust towards the line of sight. The first layer of dust is located approximately within 200 pc towards the cluster, which is much closer to the Sun than the cluster (~ 2.1 kpc). The radial distribution of the position angles for the member stars are found to show a systematic change while the polarization found to reduce towards the oute…
High-resolution spectral analysis is performed for the first time in evolved stars of two young open clusters: NGC 4609 and NGC 5316, of about 80 and 100 Myr in age, respectively, and turn-off masses above 5 Msun. Stellar evolution models predict an extra-mixing event in evolved stars, which follows the first dredge-up and happens later on the red giant branch. However, it is still not understood how this process affects stars of different masses. In this study, we determine abundances of the mixing sensitive elements carbon and nitrogen, carbon isotope 12C/13C ratios, as well as 20 other elem…
Understanding how distinct, near-spherical gas-free clusters of very young, massive stars shape out of vast, complex clouds of molecular hydrogen is one of the biggest challenges in astrophysics. A popular thought dictates that a single gas cloud fragments into many new-born stars which, in turn, energize and rapidly expel the residual gas to form a gas-free cluster. This study demonstrates that the above classical paradigm remarkably reproduces the well-observed central, young cluster (HD 97950) of the Galactic NGC 3603 star-forming region, in particular, its shape, internal motion and the ma…
Aims. We present positions and velocities for 796 planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Fornax Brightest Cluster Galaxy NGC 1316 (Fornax A). The planetary nebulae and existing kinematics are used to explore the rotation of this merger remnant and constrain dynamical models. Methods. Using FORS2 on the VLT, the PN velocities were measured using a counter-dispersed slitless-spectroscopy technique that produced the largest-to-date sample outside of the Local Group. Spherical, non-rotating, constant-anisotropy Jeans models were con- strained by observations of the planetary nebulae and existing integrate…
Images recorded with the Gemini South Adaptive Optics Imager (GSAOI) and corrected for atmospheric seeing by the Gemini Multiconjugate Adaptive Optics System (GeMS) are used to investigate the stellar contents of the young outer Galactic disk clusters Haffner 17, NGC 2401, and NGC 3105. Ages estimated from the faint end of the main sequence (MS) and the ridgeline of the pre-main sequence (PMS) on the (K, J-K) color-magnitude diagrams are consistent with published values that are based on the MS turn-off, with the GSAOI data favoring the younger end of the age range for NGC 2401 in the literatu…
The stellar contents of the open clusters King 12, NGC 7788, and NGC 7790 are investigated using MegaCam images. Comparisons with isochrones yield an age < 20 Myr for King 12, 20--40 Myr for NGC 7788, and 60 -- 80 Myr for NGC 7790 based on the properties of stars near the main sequence turn-off (MSTO) in each cluster. The reddening of NGC 7788 is much larger than previously estimated. The luminosity functions (LFs) of King 12 and NGC 7788 show breaks that are attributed to the onset of pre-main sequence (PMS) objects, and comparisons with models of PMS evolution yield ages that are consistent …
NGC 1980 is a young cluster that is located about 0.5 degrees south of the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC). Recent studies by Bouy et al. and Pillitteri et al. have suggested that NGC 1980 contains an older population of stars compared to a much younger ONC, and that it belongs to a foreground population that may be located in front of the Orion A molecular gas by as much as 40 pc. In this work we present low-resolution spectra towards 148 young stars found towards the NGC 1980 region. We determine the spectral types of these stars, examine accretion signatures and measure the extinction towards th…
The formation of very young massive clusters or "starburst" clusters is currently one of the most widely debated topic in astronomy. The classical notion dictates that a star cluster is formed in-situ in a dense molecular gas clump followed by a substantial residual gas expulsion. On the other hand, based on the observed morphologies of many young stellar associations, a hierarchical formation scenario is alternatively suggested. A very young (age $\approx$ 1 Myr), massive ($>10^4M_\odot$) star cluster like the Galactic NGC 3603 young cluster (HD 97950) is an appropriate testbed for distinguis…
We present the results of an infrared photometric survey performed with NICS@TNG in the nearby starburst galaxy NGC 4214. We derived accurate integrated JK magnitudes of 10 young massive clusters and compared them with the already available Hubble Space Telescope ultraviolet colors. These clusters are located in the combined ultraviolet-infrared colors planes on well defined sequences, whose shapes allow a precise determination of their age. By means of the comparison with suitable stellar evolution models we estimated ages, metallicities, reddening and masses of these clusters. All the analyz…
Nearly all the star clusters with ages of ~1-2 Gyr in both Magellanic Clouds exhibit an extended main-sequence turn off (eMSTO) whose origin is under debate. The main scenarios suggest that the eMSTO could be either due to multiple generations of stars with different ages or to coeval stellar populations with different rotation rates. In this paper we use Hubble-Space-Telescope images to investigate the ~80-Myr old cluster NGC1755 in the LMC. We find that the MS is split with the blue and the red MS hosting about the 25% and the 75% of the total number of MS stars, respectively. Moreover, the …
High-resolution observations in the near infrared show star clusters around the active galactic nucleus (AGN) of the Seyfert 1 NGC2110, along with a 90 x 35 pc bar of shocked gas material around its nucleus. These are seen for the first time in our imaging and gas kinematics of the central 100pc with the Keck OSIRIS instrument with adaptive optics. Each of these clusters is 2-3 times brighter than the Arches cluster close to the centre of the Milky Way. The core star formation rate (SFR) is 0.3 M$_\odot$/yr. The photoionized gas (He I) dynamics imply an enclosed mass of 3-4 x 10$^8$ M$_\odot$.…
We characterize the stellar population of the poorly explored young stellar cluster NGC 3293 at the northwestern periphery of the Carina Nebula Complex, in order to evaluate the cluster age and the mass function, and to test claims of an abnormal IMF and a deficit of M <= 2.5 M_sun stars. We performed a deep (70 ksec) X-ray observation of NGC 3293 with Chandra and detected 1026 individual X-ray point sources. We identify counterparts for 74% of the X-ray sources in deep near-infrared images. Our data clearly show that NGC 3293 hosts a large population of solar-mass stars, refuting claims of a …
The origin of young star clusters represents a major challenge for modern stellar astrophysics. While stellar rotation partially explains the colour spread observed along main-sequence turn-offs, i.e. where stars leave the main-sequence after the exhaustion of hydrogen in their core, and the multiple main sequences in the colour-magnitude diagrams of stellar systems younger than approximately 2 Gyr, it appears that an age difference may still be required to fulfill the observational constraints. Here we introduce an alternative approach that exploits the main-sequence turn-on, i.e. the point a…
