RCW 108
Also called
Gum 53Coordinates: (336.49°, -1.48°)
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The massive star formation region RCW 108, also called the Rim nebula, NGC 6188, and Gum 53, is ionised by the Ara OB1a association and its core star cluster NGC 6193. Humphreys gives a distance of 1380 parsecs for Ara OB1a.
Avedisova places it in star formation region SFR 336.43-1.26 along with the star cluster NGC 6193, the molecular cloud [TUW2004] SFO 79 and the dark cloud DCld 336.4-01.5.
Kharchenko lists the O7 V multiple star HD 150135 and 3 ionising B-stars in NGC 6193. She gives an age of 7.9 million years and a distance of 1155 parsecs. A 2008 study adds a second O-star to NGC 6193, the ultrahot O3+O6V multiple HD 150136. The region also contains the infrared cluster RCW 108-IR, which includes a probable O9 class star.
A good black and white hydrogen-alpha image of this region can be found here.
Full colour images are here, here and here. You can see the MSX infrared image here.
Avedisova places it in star formation region SFR 336.43-1.26 along with the star cluster NGC 6193, the molecular cloud [TUW2004] SFO 79 and the dark cloud DCld 336.4-01.5.
Kharchenko lists the O7 V multiple star HD 150135 and 3 ionising B-stars in NGC 6193. She gives an age of 7.9 million years and a distance of 1155 parsecs. A 2008 study adds a second O-star to NGC 6193, the ultrahot O3+O6V multiple HD 150136. The region also contains the infrared cluster RCW 108-IR, which includes a probable O9 class star.
A good black and white hydrogen-alpha image of this region can be found here.
Full colour images are here, here and here. You can see the MSX infrared image here.
HD 150135 (O6.5V; Walborn 1972) and HD 150136 (O3+O6V; Niemela & Gamen 2005) and lies at a distance of 1300 +/- 200 parsecs. The region is also embedded by an infrared cluster RCW 108-IR, which includes a probable O9 class star.[1]
This vast star formation region is associated with ARA OB1A and is relatively young - most of the potential star formation in RCW 108 has yet to come.[2]
The RCW catalog lists the entire nebula as RCW 108 and designates the bright core as RCW 108a.
This vast star formation region is associated with ARA OB1A and is relatively young - most of the potential star formation in RCW 108 has yet to come.[2]
The RCW catalog lists the entire nebula as RCW 108 and designates the bright core as RCW 108a.
Notes
1. ^ Wolk, Scott J., Spitzbart, Bradley D., Bourke, Tyler L., et al. (2008). "X-Ray and IR Point Source Identification and Characteristics in the Embedded, Massive Star-Forming Region RCW 108", The Astronomical Journal, Vol. 135, 693-721. [2008AJ....135..693W]
2. ^ Comerón, F., Schneider, N., & Russeil, D. (2005). "Star formation in RCW 108: Triggered or spontaneous?", Astronomy and Astrophysics, Vol. 433, 955-977. [2005A&A...433..955C]
Distance estimates
1300 pc [2005A&A..433..955C]1300 pc +/- 300 [1989BAICz..40...42A]
1300 pc +/- 200 [2008AJ....135..693W]
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Most of the sources used to create these nebula descriptions are listed in the
notes section for each description. In some cases,
for example the Avedisova, Humphreys and Reed catalogs, the source is used extensively and is not listed in the
individual nebula descriptions. See this catalog overview
for more information on the catalogs and the general sources used
to create these descriptions and this introduction to HII regions
on the general history of this area of astronomy.
This image was created using the POSS-II/UKSTU data of the Digitized Sky Survey and SuperCOSMOS using the process described here.
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and this acknowledgement taken from the DSS site:
The Digitized Sky Surveys were produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute under U.S. Government grant NAG W-2166. The images of these surveys are based on photographic data obtained using the Oschin Schmidt Telescope on Palomar Mountain and the UK Schmidt Telescope. The plates were processed into the present compressed digital form with the permission of these institutions.
The Second Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS-II) was made by the California Institute of Technology with funds from the National Science Foundation, the National Geographic Society, the Sloan Foundation, the Samuel Oschin Foundation, and the Eastman Kodak Corporation.
The UK Schmidt Telescope was operated by the Royal Observatory Edinburgh, with funding from the UK Science and Engineering Research Council (later the UK Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council), until 1988 June, and thereafter by the Anglo-Australian Observatory. The blue plates of the southern Sky Atlas and its Equatorial Extension (together known as the SERC-J), as well as the Equatorial Red (ER), and the Second Epoch [red] Survey (SES) were all taken with the UK Schmidt.
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