NOAO/KPNO--NSO, Department of Astronomy, Steward Observatory and NRAO Joint Colloquium Speaker Series

The Chandra X-ray Observatory, launched in July 1999, is the premier instrument for high resolution X-ray astrophysics. The combination of spatial and spectral resolution allow us to study regions of massive star formation which had been inaccessible even from the ground until the last decade. I will survey the state of our understanding by discussing data from 3 massive star forming regions. Two of these are somewhat remote southern clusters, RCW 38 and RCW 108 and the third is the nearby Orion Nebular Cluster. These three ostensibly similar star forming regions show very diverse and complex environments. RCW 108 is the youngest of these and supports the hypothesis that previously extant density enhancements within a cold cloud are pushed to collapse by the ram pressure from a nearby young star. The O5 star at the heart of RCW 38 is actively compressing a nearby core. In our study of the ONC, the most intensively observed massive star forming region, we focus on the effect of X-rays and X-ray flares on the disks around G stars. Finally I will discuss the new database (ANCHORS) which is being prepared to deliver X-ray data on individual stars and star forming regions to the public.

Refreshments will be served at 3:30pm in the Steward Observatory lobby.