per, Walther and I concur with this sugges-
tion. In addition, we propose that the rather
compact and amorphous appearance of this
region is due to the outflow of material be-
ing directed almost exactly toward the Sun.
The Gemini image gives us a view somewhat
akin to looking down the barrel of a cannon
that has just been fired.
We also captured the most detailed infrared
spectra ever obtained of IRS 1, the bright
fuzzy object at the middle of the image, and
IRS 3, the much fainter object located close
to IRS 1, just to its upper right. The emission
lines of atomic and molecular hydrogen,
ionized iron, and hot carbon monoxide that
we found in their spectra attest to both stars
generating intense outflowing winds.
Other protostars within NGC 2071-IR could
also be producing outflows that are disrupt-
ing the cloud. If we are correct, NGC 2071-
IR may be generating more outflows simul-
taneously than any cloud core in the solar
neighborhood. However, spectra do not ex-
ist of most of the other stars in Figure 1.
We are hoping to be granted additional time
to obtain infrared spectra of all of them. A
crude spectrum of IRS 7, located far from IRS
1 and IRS 3, that we obtained 30 years ago,
shows strong evidence of outflow activity.
January 2020 / 2019 Year in Review
One especially mysterious source, detect-
ed in the infrared for the first time by NIRI,
but found earlier at radio wavelengths by
the Very Large Array (in New Mexico) and
dubbed VLA-1, shows signs of activity at ra-
dio wavelengths. Located between IRS 1 and
IRS 3, but apparently much more deeply bur-
ied in the star-forming cloud than either of
them, it may be an important key to under-
standing the entire region.
Identifying all of the active protostars within
NGC 2071-IR will allow us to complete the
picture of how these violent activities are
sculpting the surrounding cloud. The active
ones not only could be preventing more
stars from forming, but also could be dis-
rupting the abilities of other younger proto-
stars to collect nearby gas, placing limits on
how massive they can become. Walther and I
hope that additional spectra will give a clear-
er understanding of the activities within this
fascinating cloud.
For additional details see Walther, D. M., and
Geballe, T. R., The Astrophysical Journal, 875:
153, 2019, or arXiv 1903.03583
Tom Geballe is Emeritus Astronomer at Gemini
Observatory. He can be reached at:
[email protected]
GeminiFocus
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