The stellar population of O, B and Wolf-Rayet stars within 3 kpc of the Sun is discussed. In addition to providing observational data for comparison with evolutionary models, the observations suggest a galactic gradient in the initial mass function of these stars. Differences in the massive stellar population between the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud are starting to appear. Understanding these differences will provide important insight into the evolution of galaxies.
CY - Dordrecht DO - 10.1007/978-94-009-5478-6_11 N2 -The stellar population of O, B and Wolf-Rayet stars within 3 kpc of the Sun is discussed. In addition to providing observational data for comparison with evolutionary models, the observations suggest a galactic gradient in the initial mass function of these stars. Differences in the massive stellar population between the Large and Small Magellanic Cloud are starting to appear. Understanding these differences will provide important insight into the evolution of galaxies.
PB - Springer Netherlands PP - Dordrecht PY - 1985 SN - 978-94-009-5478-6 SP - 79 EP - 88 TI - Evolution of Massive Stars: Observational Evidence ER -