August 5, 2025The Astronomical JournalOpen Access

How Massive Star Clusters Form and Evolve: A Near-IR Survey of the W51 Complex

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Over 3000 new sources were identified in the W51A region, highlighting its rich young stellar population.
Mass estimates for W51 IRS2 range from 900 to 4700 solar masses, while W51 Main spans 500 to 2700 solar masses.
Average extinction measured was 19 in W51 IRS2 and 14 in W51 Main, indicating significant dust presence.
The initial mass function slopes for both protoclusters matched the Salpeter IMF for stars over 8 solar masses.

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Near-infrared observations reveal new stellar sources and mass estimates for protoclusters in W51, suggesting insights into cluster evolution.

Dawson et al. (2025) studied this question.

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Near-infrared observations reveal new stellar sources and mass estimates for protoclusters in W51, suggesting insights into cluster evolution.