Discovery of New Wide Binary Infrared Protostars
Abstract
We present observational evidence based on near-infrared array imaging of what could be not only candidates for infrared protostars (Class I objects) but also for wide binary infrared protostars found in Bok globules. The extremely early evolutionary stage of the objects is confirmed by the following facts: (i) The objects are not present on the Palomar prints nor on optical CCD images reaching 19th magnitude in the I band; (ii) the objects exhibit very red colors. Values of (J-H) and (H-K) are consistent with those of very embedded Class I objects surrounded by circumstellar dust emission. The binary character of these pairs of objects is indicated by the following facts: (i) At 2.2 μm, each pair appears to reside in common nebulosity indicating that they could be physically associated; (ii) the separation between the stars in each pair is about 10 arcsec and they appear isolated within globule cores extending for several arcminutes in diameter. The orientations of their associated molecular outflows, previously found by Yun & Clemens, are roughly perpendicular to the lines connecting the binaries. A millimeter continuum emission survey revealed that, at 1.3 mm, the sources are the two brightest low-mass young stellar objects discovered in Bok globules.
- Publication:
-
The Astronomical Journal
- Pub Date:
- February 1996
- DOI:
- 10.1086/117840
- Bibcode:
- 1996AJ....111..930Y
- Keywords:
-
- INFRARED: STARS;
- BINARIES: CLOSE;
- STARS: PRE-MAIN SEQUENCE