Stellar Systems Group

Alfaro, E. J.
Publications of the Astronomical Observatory of Belgrade, Vol. 80, p. 29-36
05/2006

ABSTRACT

The set of physical processes that we call star formation occur at different spatial scales and along the whole life of the galaxies. Stellar complexes (with sizes between 300-1000 pc) represent the highest hierarchy of coherent star formation in galaxies. They turn out to be formed by associations, clusters, etc, in a cascade of sizes, still containing, in some cases, large gas reservoirs. The history of the star formation within the complex, its content of gas, ionization diagnostic diagrams, internal kinematics, and age spatial patterns are crucial data for understanding how the star formation started in these big clouds and how evolved and propagate along the complexes. In this talk, I will discuss the main guidelines of our project to study the star formation processes at large scale and will show the results derived from the study of a big complex in NGC6946.