New Galactic embedded clusters and candidates from a WISE Survey

TL;DR

This study used WISE infrared images to discover 437 new embedded star clusters and stellar groups in the Milky Way, revealing their structures and potential for understanding early star formation.

Contribution

It presents a large catalog of newly identified embedded clusters using WISE data, including detailed characterization and analysis of a subset with 2MASS photometry.

Findings

Discovery of 437 new embedded clusters and stellar groups.

Clusters show diverse structures and possible multiple generations.

WISE is effective for detecting very young clusters in the Galactic disk.

Abstract

We carried out a search for new infrared star clusters, stellar groups and candidates using WISE images, which are very sensitive to dust emission nebulae. We report the discovery of 437 embedded clusters and stellar groups that show a variety of structures, both in the stellar and nebular components. Pairs or small groupings of clusters are observed, suggesting multiple generations at the early formation stages. The resulting catalogue provides Galactic and equatorial coordinates, together with angular sizes for all objects. The nature of a representative test sub-sample of 14 clusters is investigated in detail by means of 2MASS photometry. The colour magnitude diagrams and radial density distributions characterize them as stellar clusters. The 437 new objects were found in the ranges $145^\circ\,\leq\,\ell\,\leq 290^\circ$ and $-25^\circ\,\leq\,b\,\leq 20^\circ$, and they appear to be a major object source for future studies of star cluster formation and their early evolution. WISE is a powerful tool to further probe for very young clusters throughout the disk.