Discovering Massive Runaway Stars with Infrared Bow Shock Nebulae: First Results
Abstract
We have searched the plane of the Milky Way for candidate 22 μm and 24 μm infrared bow shock nebulae using the Wide-Field Infrared Survey Explorer (WISE) All-Sky Data Release and Spitzer GLIMPSE mosaic images. Infrared bow shocks driven by massive, OB stars can provide new constraints on stellar mass-loss rates and reveal new runaway late O- and early B-type stars. Candidate infrared bow shocks identified in this search were chosen using the criteria of a mostly symmetric arc-like morphology with the arc being bright in only 22 or 24 μm along with an apparent driving star associated with the bow shock in line with its axis of symmetry. Preliminary visible spectroscopic observations of candidate bow shock driving stars obtained using the Longslit Spectrograph at the Wyoming Infrared Observatory (WIRO) reveal that these visual inspections yield a 95% success rate of finding late O- or early B-type stars.This work is supported by the National Science Foundation under grants AST-1063146 (REU), AST-1411851 (RUI), and AST-1412845.
- Publication:
-
American Astronomical Society Meeting Abstracts #227
- Pub Date:
- January 2016
- Bibcode:
- 2016AAS...22714304A