Triggered star formation on the border of the orion-eridanus superbubble

Abstract

A census of classical T Tauri stars and Herbig Ae/Be stars has been performed around the Orion-Eridanus Superbubble that is ionized and created by the Ori OB1 association. This sample is used to study the spatial distribution of newborn stars, hence the recent star formation sequence, in the region that includes two giant molecular clouds (Orions A and B) and additional smaller clouds (NGC 2149, GN 05.51.4, VdB 64, the Crossbones, the Northern Filament, LDN1551, LDN1558, and LDN1563). Most of the molecular clouds are located on the border of the Superbubble, and associated with Hα filaments and star formation activity, except the Northern Filament which is probably located outside the Superbubble. This suggests that while star formation progresses from the oldest OriOB1a subgroup to 1b, 1c, and 1d, the Superbubble compresses and initiates starbirth in clouds such as NGC2149, GN05.51.4, VdB64, and the Crossbones, which are located more than 100 pc away from the center of the Superbubble, and even in clouds some 200 pc away, i.e., in LDN1551, LDN1558, and LDN1563. A superbubble appears to have potentially a long-range influence in triggering next-generation star formation in an OB association. © 2009. The American Astronomical Society. All rights reserved.