Massive infrared clusters in the Milky Way
Abstract
Our position in the Milky Way (MW) is both a blessing and a curse. We are nearby to many star clusters, but the dust that is a product of their very existence obscures them. Also, many massive young clusters are expected to be located near, or across the Galactic Center, where the dust extinction is extreme (A V > 15 mag) and can be better penetrated by infrared photons. This paper reviews the discoveries and the study of new MW massive stars and massive clusters made possible by near infrared observations that are part of the VISTA Variables in the Vía Láctea (VVV) survey. It discusses what the studies of their fundamental parameters have taught us.
- Publication:
-
The Lives and Death-Throes of Massive Stars
- Pub Date:
- November 2017
- DOI:
- 10.1017/S1743921317002988
- Bibcode:
- 2017IAUS..329..263C
- Keywords:
-
- surveys;
- stars: distances;
- stars: evolution;
- stars: fundamental parameters;
- stars: Wolf-Rayet;
- (Galaxy:) open clusters and associations: general