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We determine the distance to the open cluster NGC 2264 using a statistical analysis of cluster member inclinations. We derive distance-dependent values of sin i (where i is the inclination angle) for 97 stars in NGC 2264 from the rotation periods, luminosities, effective temperatures, and projected equatorial rotation velocities, v sin i, measured for these stars. We have measured 96 of the vsin i values in our sample by analyzing high-resolution spectra with a cross-correlation technique. We model the observed distribution of sin i for the cluster by assuming that member stars have random axial orientations and by adopting prescriptions for the measurement errors in our sample. By adjusting the distance assumed in the observed sin i distribution until it matches the modeled distribution, we obtain a best-fit distance for the cluster. We find the data to be consistent with a distance to NGC 2264 of 913 pc. Quantitative tests of our analysis reveal uncertainties of 40 and 110 pc due to sampling and systematic effects, respectively. This distance estimate suggests a revised age for the cluster of ~1.5 Myr, although more detailed investigations of the full cluster membership are required to draw strong conclusions.

We determine the distance to the open cluster NGC 2264 using a statistical analysis of cluster member inclinations. We derive distance-dependent values of sin i (where i is the inclination angle) for 97 stars in NGC 2264 from the rotation periods, luminosities, effective temperatures, and projected equatorial rotation velocities, v sin i, measured for these stars. We have measured 96 of the v sin i values in our sample by analyzing high-resolution spectra with a cross-correlation technique. We model the observed distribution of sin i for the cluster by assuming that member stars have random axial orientations and by adopting prescriptions for the measurement errors in our sample. By adjusting the distance assumed in the observed sin i distribution until it matches the modeled distribution, we obtain a best-fit distance for the cluster. We find the data to be consistent with a distance to NGC 2264 of 913 pc. Quantitative tests of our analysis reveals uncertainties of 40 and 110 pc due to sampling and systematic effects, respectively. This distance estimate suggests a revised age for the cluster of 1.5 Myrs, although more detailed investigations of the full cluster membership are required to draw strong conclusions., 12 pages, 11 figures

We present results from 1351 high resolution spectra of 1215 stars in the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC) and the surrounding Orion 1c association, obtained with the Hectochelle multiobject echelle spectrograph on the 6.5m MMT. We confirmed 1111 stars as members, based on their radial velocity and/or H-alpha emission. The radial velocity distribution of members shows a dispersion of 3.1 km/s. We found a substantial north-south velocity gradient and spatially coherent structure in the radial velocity distribution, similar to that seen in the molecular gas in the region. We also identified several binary and high velocity stars, a region exhibiting signs of triggered star formation, and a possible foreground population of stars somewhat older than the ONC. Stars without infrared excesses (as detected with the IRAC instrument on the Spitzer Space Telescope) exhibit a wider spread in radial velocity than the infrared excess stars; this spread is mostly due to a blue-shifted population of stars that may constitute a foreground population. We also identify some accreting stars, based on H-alpha, that do not have detectable infrared excesses with IRAC, and thus are potential transitional disk systems (objects with inner disk holes). We propose that the substructure seen both in stellar and gaseous component is the result of non-uniform gravitational collapse to a filamentary distribution of gas. The spatial and kinematic correlation between the stellar and gaseous components suggests the region is very young, probably only ~1 crossing time old or less to avoid shock dissipation and gravitational interactions which would tend to destroy the correlation between stars and gas., 23 pages, 11 figures, 3 tables - accepted by ApJ