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[27.04D] Near-Infrared Observations of Massive Stars in the Milky Way

N. L. Homeier (ESO-Garching & U Wisconsin, Madison)

Luminous, massive star are tracers of recent star formation in our Galaxy; they map out the spiral arms and reveal young clusters. However, studies of Galactic star formation suffer from severe interstellar extinction, both internally and along the line of sight. The consequence is that optical wavelengths are not accessible from much of the Galaxy, and research must be conducted in the near--infrared and at longer wavelengths. Here I report on thesis work of massive stars in the Milky Way using narrow and broad-band NIR filters. We have completed observations covering the inner Galaxy in narrow-band filters at 2 microns, where the presence of emission lines in the spectra of evolved massive stars allows identification with relative photometric techniques. I will present follow-up spectroscopic results from this sample and discuss future work. I will also present JHK images of W49A, one of the most luminous giant radio HII regions in the Milky Way, and discuss characteristics of this optically obscured massive star-forming region in the context of massive cluster formation within the Milky Way.

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Bulletin of the American Astronomical Society, 34, #4
© 2002. The American Astronomical Soceity.