On the Structure of the Orion A Cloud and the Formation of the Orion Nebula Cluster

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dc.creatorHartmann, Lee
dc.creatorBurkert, Andreas
dc.date2006-09-25
dc.date.accessioned2026-07-07T10:40:15Z
dc.date.available2026-07-07T10:40:15Z
dc.descriptionWe suggest that the Orion A cloud is gravitationally collapsing on large scales, and is producing the Orion Nebula Cluster due to the focusing effects of gravity acting within a finite cloud geometry. In support of this suggestion, we show how an elliptical rotating sheet of gas with a modest density gradient along the major axis can collapse to produce a structure qualitatively resembling Orion A, with a fan-shaped structure at one end, ridges or filaments along the fan, and a narrow curved filament at the other end reminiscent of the famous integral-shaped filament. The model produces a local concentration of mass within the narrow filament which in principle could form a dense cluster of stars like that of the Orion Nebula. We suggest that global gravitational contraction might be a more common feature of molecular clouds than previously recognized, and that the formation of star clusters is a dynamic process resulting from the focusing effects of gravity acting upon the geometry of finite clouds.
dc.description23 pages, 6 figures, to appear in the Astrophysical Journal
dc.identifierhttps://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0609679
dc.identifierhttp://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0609679
dc.identifierAstrophys.J.654:988-997,2007
dc.identifierdoi:10.1086/509321
dc.identifier.urihttp://salesiana.dossiersoluciones.com/handle/123456789/181284
dc.subjectAstrophysics
dc.titleOn the Structure of the Orion A Cloud and the Formation of the Orion Nebula Cluster
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