Authors
Abstract
We used star density maps obtained from the Two-Micron All-Sky Survey (2MASS) to obtain a sample of star clusters in the entire Galactic Plane with |b| < 20°. A total of 1788 star cluster candidates are identified in this survey. Among those are 681 previously known open clusters and 86 globular clusters. A statistical analysis indicates that our sample of 1021 new cluster candidates has a contamination of about 50per cent. Star cluster parameters are obtained by fitting a King profile to the star density. These parameters are used to statistically identify probable new globular cluster candidates in our sample. A detailed investigation of the projected distribution of star clusters in the Galaxy demonstrates that they show a clear tendency to cluster on spatial scales in the order of 12-25pc, a typical size for molecular clouds.Details
| Publication | Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society, Volume 374, Issue 2, pp. 399-408. |
| Publication Date | January 2007 |
| DOI | |
| arXiv | arXiv:astro-ph/0610146 |
| Bibcode | 2007MNRAS.374..399F |
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| E-Print Comment(s) | 31 pages, 7 Figures, 3 Tables, Accepted for publication by MNRAS, A version with higher resolution figures can be found at http://astro.kent.ac.uk/~df/ |