Star Formation in IC 1274 and the L227 Molecular Cloud

We present initial results from an Hα emission survey and a deep optical (BVRI) photometric survey of the IC 1274 emission/reflection nebula and the L227 molecular cloud. Over 50 Hα emission stars brighter than V 21 have been identified in the region, presumably members of a faint T Tauri star population. A striking concentration of Hα emitters is found in the south-eastern quadrant of the nebula's luminous circular cavity. A Chandra ACIS image of a nearby suspected pulsar and time-variable γ-ray source detected 21 X-ray sources in the vicinity of IC 1274, many of which are coincident with the early-type cluster members and Hα emission stars. A distance of 1.82 +/- 0.3 kpc follows from photometry of the early-type stars, which is consistent with previous estimates derived for the associated H II region Sh 2-32. Using pre-main sequence evolutionary models, we find a median age of the Hα emitters and X-ray sources to be 1 Myr, however, significant dispersion is present. Based upon the strength of Hα emission, a large fraction of T Tauri stars in IC 1274 is accreting, implying the presence of optically thick circumstellar disks. This finding is supported by significant H-K_S