Spitzer Space Telescope - Guaranteed Time Observer Proposal #50452


A Survey for Isolated Clusters in Bok Globules

Principal Investigator: Giovanni Fazio
           Institution: Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

     Technical Contact: Dawn Peterson, Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory

Co-Investigators: 
Lori Allen, Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory             
Robert Gutermuth, Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory       
Tyler Bourke, Harvard-Smithsonian Astrophysical Observatory           

Science Category: star formation 
 Observing Modes: IracMap MipsScan 
  Hours Approved: 14.3 

Abstract:
We propose Spitzer IRAC and MIPS observations of a sample of 11 Bok globules in
order to detect deeply embedded infrared sources and determine whether they are
sites of active star formation. Small groups of stars forming in these Bok
globules are unique because they are forming in a relatively isolated
environment. Many of the sources in the sample of Bok globules chosen are
forming stars, as evidenced by radio or infrared IRAS sources. The proposed
sample includes Bok globules surveyed for 3.6 cm continuum emission with the VLA
(Yun et al. 1996; Moreira et al. 1999). However, a complete census of the
stellar content of these regions is needed in order to probe the intial
conditions necessary for low mass star formation. The Spitzer observations will,
in addition to ground-based near-infrared imaging from 2MASS (or deeper in the
case of more distant regions), allow us to construct spectral energy
distributions from 1-70 micron for all sources detected in or nearby the Bok
globules, determining whether they harbor circumstellar disks indicative of
Class I and II sources.