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Issue A&A Volume 376, Number 2, September II 2001 Page(s) 434 - 440 Section Stellar clusters and associations DOI 10.1051/0004-6361:20010978

A&A 376, 434-440 (2001)
DOI: 10.1051/0004-6361:20010978

New infrared star clusters and candidates in the Galaxy detected with 2MASS

C. M. Dutra^{1, 2} and E. Bica<sup>1

1</sup>  Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, IF, CP 15051, Porto Alegre 91501-970, RS, Brazil
²  Instituto Astronomico e Geofisico da USP, CP 3386, São Paulo 01060-970, SP, Brazil

(Received 17 April 2001 / Accepted 5 July 2001 )

Abstract
A sample of 42 new infrared star clusters, stellar groups and candidates was found throughout the Galaxy in the 2MASS J, H and especially atlases. In the Cygnus X region 19 new clusters, stellar groups and candidates were found as compared to 6 such objects in the previous literature. Colour-Magnitude Diagrams using the 2MASS Point Source Catalogue provided preliminary distance estimates in the range kpc for 7 Cygnus X clusters. Towards the central parts of the Galaxy 7 new IR clusters and candidates were found as compared to 61 previous objects. A search for prominent dark nebulae in was also carried out in the central bulge area. We report 5 dark nebulae, 2 of them are candidates for molecular clouds able to generate massive star clusters near the Nucleus, such as the Arches and Quintuplet clusters.

Key words: Galaxy: open clusters and associations: individual

Offprint request: C. M. Dutra, dutra@iagusp.usp.br

SIMBAD Objects in preparation

© ESO 2001

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