The discovery based on GLIMPSE data of a protostar driving a bipolar outflow

Abstract

We report the discovery based on GLIMPSE data of a proto-stellar system driving a bipolar outflow. The bipolar outflow closely resembles the shape of an hourglass in the infrared. The total luminosity of L total = 5507 L ̇, derived from IRAS fluxes, indicates the ongoing formation of a massive star in this region. The spectral energy distribution (SED) of the driving source is fitted with an online SED fitting tool, which results in a spectral index of about 1.2. This, along with the presence of a bipolar outflow, suggests the detection of a Class I protostar. The driving source indicates prominent infrared excesses in color-color diagrams based on archived 2 MASS and GLIMPSE data, which is in line with an early evolutionary stage of the system. © 2012 ESO.