An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics

An → O-type star which is apparently not associated with a → star cluster. A significant fraction of → massive stars in the → Milky Way and other galaxies are located far from star clusters and → star-forming regions. It is known that some of these stars are → runaways, i.e. possess high → space velocities (determined through the → proper motion and/or → radial velocity measurements), and therefore most likely were formed in embedded clusters and then ejected into the field because of dynamical interactions or → binary-→ supernova explosions. However, there exists a group of field O stars whose runaway status is difficult to prove via direct proper motion measurements or whose low space velocities and/or young ages appear to be incompatible with their large separation from known star clusters. The existence of this group led some authors to believe that these stars can form → in situ. The question of whether or not O stars can form in isolation (→ isolated massive star formation) is of crucial importance for → star formation models (Gvaramadze et al., 2012, MNRAS, 424, 3037).

See also: → field; → O star.