Open AccessThe discovery of a low‐mass, pre‐main‐sequence stellar association around γ Velorum
Author(s) -
Pozzo M.,
Jeffries R. D.,
Naylor T.,
Totten E. J.,
Harmer S.,
Kenyon M.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
monthly notices of the royal astronomical society
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.058
H-Index - 383
eISSN - 1365-2966
pISSN - 0035-8711
DOI - 10.1046/j.1365-8711.2000.03455.x
Subject(s) - physics , stars , astrophysics , vela , initial mass function , low mass , main sequence , parallax , astronomy , stellar mass , binary number , proper motion , high mass , star formation , pulsar , arithmetic , mathematics
We report the serendipitous discovery of a population of low‐mass, pre‐main‐sequence (PMS) stars in the direction of the Wolf–Rayet/O‐star binary system γ 2 Vel and the Vela OB2 association. We argue that γ 2 Vel and the low‐mass stars are truly associated and approximately coeval, and that both are at distances between 360 and 490 pc, disagreeing at the 2 σ level with the recent Hipparcos parallax of γ 2 Vel, but consistent with older distance estimates. Our results clearly have implications for the physical parameters of the γ 2 Vel system, but also offer an exciting opportunity to investigate the influence of high‐mass stars on the mass function and circumstellar disc lifetimes of their lower mass PMS siblings.