Astronomy & Astrophysics manuscript no. 6438pap c ESO 2018 October 18, 2018 Star formation in the Vela Molecular Ridge Large scale mapping of cloud D in the mm continuum⋆ F. Massi1, M. De Luca2,3, D. Elia4, T. Giannini3, D. Lorenzetti3, and B. Nisini3 1 INAF - Osservatorio Astrofisico di Arcetri, Largo E. Fermi 5, I-50125 Firenze, Italy e-mail:
[email protected] 2 Dipartimento di Fisica, Universit`adegli studi di Roma Tor Vergata, Via della Ricerca Scientifica 1, I-00133 Roma, Italy 3 INAF - Osservatorio Astronomico di Roma, Via Frascati 33, I-00040 Monteporzio Catone, Roma, Italy e-mail: deluca,giannini,dloren,
[email protected] 4 Dipartimento di Fisica, Universit`adel Salento, CP 193, I-73100 Lecce, Italy e-mail:
[email protected] Received ; accepted ABSTRACT Context. The Vela Molecular Ridge is one of the nearest intermediate-mass star forming regions, located within the galactic plane and outside the solar circle. Cloud D, in particular, hosts a number of small embedded young clusters. Aims. We present the results of a large-scale map in the dust continuum at 1.2 mm of a ∼ 1◦ × 1◦ area within cloud D. The main aim of the observations was to obtain a complete census of cluster-forming cores and isolated (both high- and low-mass) young stellar objects in early evolutionary phases. Methods. The bolometer array SIMBA at SEST was used to map the dust emission in the region with a typical sensitivity of ∼ 20 mJy/beam. This allows a mass sensitivity of ∼ 0.2 M⊙. The resolution is 24′′, corresponding to ∼ 0.08 pc, roughly the radius of a typical young embedded cluster in the region.