Regions of Star Formation

Part 1 – Home to Massive Stars

Massive stars are considered those that ultimately end their lives as supernova explosions to become neutron stars or black holes. Well-known examples are Betelguese and Rigel in Orion and Antares in Scorpius. This evening Chris Benton will discuss the properties and types of massive stars, explaining the principles behind our observations, including why they are extremely bright and rare objects with a wide range of temperatures, plus why they are predominantly located in regions of star formation within the Galaxy. We will then discuss the differences between open star clusters and stellar associations in the context of massive stars.