A sextet of clusters in the Vela OB2 region revealed by Gaia

Using Gaia DR2 data, combined with OmegaCAM ground-based optical photometry from the Accretion Disc with OmegaCAM survey, and detailed radial velocity measurements from ESO-Gaia, we analyse in detail a 10 × 5 deg region around the Wolf-Rayet Star γ² Vel, including the previously known clusters Gamma Vel and NGC2547. Using clustering analysis that considers positions, proper motions, and parallax, we discover six clusters or associations - four of which appear new. Analysis of the colour-magnitude diagram for these clusters shows that four of them formed coevally from the same molecular clouds 10 Myr ago, while NGC 2547 formed together with a newly discovered cluster 30 Myr ago. This study shows the incredible wealth of data provided by Gaia for the study of young stellar clusters.