Multiple stellar generations in massive star forming complexes

Clark, J.S., Davies, B. and Thompson, Mark (2011) Multiple stellar generations in massive star forming complexes. Bulletin de la Societe Royale des Sciences de Liege, 80. pp. 223-228. ISSN 1783-5720

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The formation of massive stars is an outstanding problem in stellar evolution. However, it is expected that they are (predominantly) born in heirarchical environments within massive young clusters, which in turn are located within larger star forming complexes that reflect the underlying structure of the natal molecular cloud. Initial observations of such regions suggest that multiple generations of stars and proto-stars are present, necessitating a multiwavelength approach to yield a full (proto-)stellar census; in this contribution we provide an overview of just such an observational approach for Galactic examples, focusing on the G305 complex.