M. Rubio et al., INFRARED OBSERVATIONS OF ONGOING STAR-FORMATION IN THE 30-DORADUS-NEBULA AND A COMPARISON WITH HUBBLE-SPACE-TELESCOPE WFPC2 IMAGES, The Astronomical journal (New York), 116(4), 1998, pp. 1708-1718
Intercomparisons of ground-based IR continuum and H-2 images with Hubb
le Space Telescope WFPC2 images of the 30 Dor Nebula reveal detailed s
tructural relationships, which provide new information about current s
tar formation there. Numerous stellar IR sources have been discovered
in or near the bright nebular filaments west and northeast of R136; th
eir locations are intimately connected with the nebular microstructure
s, as well as with early O stars in dense nebular knots whose optical
spectral classifications indicate extreme youth. The H-2 emission pred
ominates in the dust clouds beyond the bright nebulosity and IR source
s with respect to R136. The emerging picture suggests that a new stell
ar generation is being triggered by the energetic activity of the mass
ive central cluster in the remanent interstellar material around its p
eriphery. 30 Dor will likely evolve into a giant shell H II region sim
ilar to N11 in the LMC, containing an older association inside an evac
uated central cavity, which is surrounded by H II regions ionized by a
younger population. Such ''two-stage starbursts'' may be characterist
ic of massive-star formation on this scale.