WFC3 Imaging of Protostars in the Orion Molecular Clouds
Abstract
The Orion molecular clouds contain the largest sample of protostars within 500 pc of the Sun. We present results from HST/WFC3 imaging of 124 fields in Orion containing previously identified protostars. Combined with imaging from the HST/NICMOS camera, these data provide high resolution 1.6 micron images of 260 protostars. These data are being combined with Spitzer and Herschel imaging and spectra to construct complete spectral energy distributions from 1.6 to 160 microns for the entire sample of protostars. We present a search for companions to the protostars using the WFC3/NICMOS imaging, which has the capability to identify objects at separations as small as 100 AU. We present here the mean surface density of sources as a function of distance from the protostars and use this to identify candidate companions. The 1.6 micron photometry is combined with 3.6 micron data from Spitzer and the IRTF to measure the colors of the candidate companions and determine whether they are protostars. We demonstrate that the longer wavelength observations are essential for identifying the most deeply embedded companions. We also discuss the incidence of scattered light nebulae surrounding the protostars, as detected in the WFC3/NICMOS images. These nebulae, which often show a bipolar morphology, are created by light scattered from the infalling envelope.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #219
- Pub Date:
- January 2012
- Bibcode:
- 2012AAS...21933711K