Massive Star Birth (IAU S227): A Crossroads of Astrophysics (Proceedings of the International Astronomical Union Symposia and Colloquia) Book

Massive stars, those with between 10 and 100 times the mass of the Sun, are among the rarest stars of all. They live fast and die young, but during their short lives produce the most dramatic effects on the surrounding interstellar medium in terms of dynamics, ionization, and chemical enrichment. Until a few decades ago massive star birth was literally shrouded in mystery, since these stars are born deep inside dense clouds of swirling dust and gas that obscure our view. At IAU S227, more than 200 of the world's leading astronomers presented a cornucopia of new results concerning the birth and infancy of massive stars. These proceedings show the achievements reached in this field, due to observations in the radio at mm and sub-mm wavelengths and in the infrared, and to theoretical models that simulate what happens in the cradle of a massive star.