Active star formation at intermediate Galactic latitude: the case of IRAS 06345-3023

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of a young star-forming region in the outer Galaxy, well below the Galactic plane, revealing active star formation in a previously less-studied environment.

Contribution

It presents high-resolution near-infrared observations of a new star formation site at intermediate Galactic latitude, highlighting active low-mass star formation outside the typical thin disc.

Findings

Identification of a young stellar aggregate with Class I objects

Presence of complex nebular structures around embedded stars

Star formation occurring at large vertical distances from the Galactic plane

Abstract

We report the discovery of a small aggregate of young stars seen in high-resolution, deep near-infrared ($JHK_S$) images towards IRAS 06345-3023 in the outer Galaxy and well below the mid-plane of the Galactic disc. The group of young stars is likely to be composed of low-mass stars, mostly Class I young stellar objects. The stars are seen towards a molecular cloud whose CO map peaks at the location of the IRAS source. The near-infrared images reveal, additionally, the presence of nebular emission with rich morphological features, including arcs in the vicinity of embedded stars, wisps and bright rims of a butterfly-shaped dark cloud. The location of this molecular cloud as a new star formation site well below the Galactic plane in the outer Galaxy indicates that active star formation is taking place at vertical distances larger than those typical of the (thin) disc.