An IRAS/ISSA Survey of Bow Shocks Around Runaway Stars

Abstract

We searched the IRAS data for bow shock-like objects like those known around ζ Oph and α Cam near the positions of 188 runaway stars. Based primarily on the presence and morphology of excess 60 μm emission we identify 58 candidate bow shocks, for which we determine photometric and morphological parameters. Previously only a dozen or so were known. Well-resolved structures are present around 25 stars. A comparison of the distribution of symmetry axes of the infrared nebulae with the proper motions of the stars indicate the two directions are very significantly aligned. The observed alignment strongly suggests that the structures we see arise from the interaction of stellar winds with the interstellar medium, justifying the identification of these far-infrared objects as stellar wind bow shocks.