The region of the supernova remnant MSH 15-52 revisited : a new thermal H II region, H II G320.5-1.4.

The authors revisited the stellar and nebular content in the direction of MSH 15-52. This search was initiated by the discovery of a new Hα thermal region H II G 320.5-1.4 with velocity V_LSR = -43 km s^-1, extending over an area similar to MSH 15-52, and clearly distinct from the foreground H II region BBW 28802. From a rediscussion of the reddening and distances of hot stars with available spectra in the direction l = 320°, it is found that they constitute a single stellar association (Cir OB1) at a distance about 4 kpc, probably not much more extended than 80×80 pc. This association contains the cluster Pis 20, four WR stars and a number of stars with ages in the range 4 - 10×10⁶yr. It is the excitation source of H II G 320.5-1.4. In such an association, bubbles may have formed previously to the explosion of supernovae; also, several supernovae may have exploded recently. Thus it is not unlikely that MSH 15-52 originated from the same SN explosion as PSR 1509-58 and expanded freely into a bubble; on the other hand, it would not be surprising that two different supernovae exploded close in time and space.