Spectroscopic study of the N159/N160 complex in the Large Magellanic Cloud

TL;DR

This spectroscopic study of the N159/N160 region in the Large Magellanic Cloud classifies 189 stars, revealing diverse evolutionary stages and supporting a common recent star formation event with some sequential activity in subregions.

Contribution

First comprehensive spectroscopic classification of stars in N159/N160, identifying rare spectral types and analyzing the region's star formation history.

Findings

Presence of massive stars at various evolutionary stages.

Evidence for a common recent star formation event.

Detection of rare spectral types like Onfp and Be P Cygni stars.

Abstract

We present a spectroscopic study of the N159/N160 massive-star forming region south of 30 Doradus in the Large Magellanic Cloud, classifying a total of 189 stars in the field of the complex. Most of them belong to O and early B spectral classes; we have also found some uncommon and very interesting spectra, including members of the Onfp class, a Be P Cygni star, and some possible multiple systems. Using spectral types as broad indicators of evolutionary stages, we considered the evolutionary status of the region as a whole. We infer that massive stars at different evolutionary stages are present throughout the region, favoring the idea of a common time for the origin of recent star formation in the N159/N160 complex as a whole, while sequential star formation at different rates is probably present in several subregions.