Search for optically visible clusters associated with methanol masers

Abstract

We present a pilot study of the massive star formation region G 264.29+ 1.4 7. A photometric and a two-point correlation function study of this region has been carried out in order to find out whether or not there is credit in focusing our attention on this region. From the two-point correlation function study, we report detection of two clusters in this region. The clustering in this region is found to be of the order of ~ 56 arcsec. One of the clusters seems to be associated with the methanol maser while the other seems not. The photometric study carried out was an attempt to gain skills required for photometric analysis. Long and short exposure optical CCD images of this region were processed and the short exposure images were used in the final photometric analysis. A total of 28 stars in the short exposure U EV band were used for the photometric analysis. The colors-excess, visual extinction and approximate photometrically determined spectral types of the 24 stars were obtained. It is found that these stars are of spectral type earlier than A9.