We present the Coordinated Synoptic Investigation of NGC 2264, a continuous 30-day multiwavelength photometric monitoring campaign on more than 1000 young cluster members using 16 telescopes. The unprecedented combination of multi-wavelength, high-precision, high-cadence, and long-duration data opens a new window into the time domain behavior of young stellar objects. Here we provide an overview of the observations, focusing on results from Spitzer and CoRoT. The highlight of this work is detailed analysis of 162 classical T Tauri stars for which we can probe optical and mid-infrared flux variations to 1% amplitudes and sub-hour timescales. We present a morphological variability census and then use metrics of periodicity, stochasticity, and symmetry to statistically separate the light curves into seven distinct classes, which we suggest represent different physical processes and geometric effects. We provide distributions of the characteristic timescales and amplitudes, and assess the fractional representation within each class. The largest category (>20%) are optical "dippers" having discrete fading events lasting ∼1-5 days. The degree of correlation between the optical and infrared light curves is positive but weak; notably, the independently assigned optical and infrared morphology classes tend to be different for the same object. Assessment of flux variation behavior with respect to (circum)stellar properties reveals correlations of variability parameters with Hα emission and with effective temperature. Overall, our results point to multiple origins of young star variability, including circumstellar obscuration events, hot spots on the star and/or disk, accretion bursts, and rapid structural changes in the inner disk. Subject headings:Electronic address: amc@ipac.caltech.edu * Based on data from the Spitzer and CoRoT missions. The CoRoT space mission was developed and is operated by the French space agency CNES, with particpiation of ESA's RSSD

We present a global study of low‐mass, young stellar object (YSO) surface densities (Σ) in nearby (<500 pc) star‐forming regions based on a comprehensive collection of Spitzer Space Telescope surveys. We show that the distribution of YSO surface densities in the solar neighbourhood is a smooth distribution, being adequately described by a lognormal function from a few to 103 YSOs pc−2, with a peak at ∼22 stars pc−2 and a dispersion of . We do not find evidence for multiple discrete modes of star formation (e.g. clustered and distributed). Comparing the observed surface density distribution to previously reported surface density threshold definitions of clusters, we find that the fraction of stars in clusters is crucially dependent on the adopted definitions, ranging from 40 to 90 per cent. However, we find that only a low fraction (<26 per cent) of stars are formed in dense environments where their formation/evolution (along with their circumstellar discs and/or planets) may be affected by the close proximity of their low‐mass neighbours.

We discuss the combined IRAC/MIPS c2d Spitzer Legacy observations of the Serpens star-forming region. We describe criteria for isolating bona fide YSOs from the extensive background of extragalactic objects. We then discuss the properties of the resulting high-confidence set of 235 YSOs. An additional 51 lower confidence YSOs outside this area are identified from the MIPS data and 2MASS photometry. We present color-color diagrams to compare our observed source properties with those of theoretical models for star/disk /envelope systems and our own modeling of the objects that are well represented by a stellar photosphere plus circumstellar disk. These objects exhibit a wide range of disk properties, from many with actively accreting disks to some with both passive disks and even possibly debris disks. The YSO luminosity function extends down to at least a few times 10 À3 L or lower. The lower limit may be set more by our inability to distinguish YSOs from extragalactic sources than by the lack of YSOs at very low luminosities. We find no evidence for variability in the shorter IRAC bands between the two epochs of our data set, Át $ 6 hr. A spatial clustering analysis shows that the nominally less evolved YSOs are more highly clustered than the later stages. The background extragalactic population can be fitted by the same two-point correlation function as seen in other extragalactic studies. We present a table of matches between several previous infrared and X-ray studies of the Serpens YSO population and our Spitzer data set. The clusters in Serpens have a very high surface density of YSOs, primarily with SEDs suggesting extreme youth. The total number of YSOs, mostly Class II, is greater outside the clusters.

Context. The Taurus Molecular Cloud (TMC) is the nearest large star-forming region, prototypical for the distributed mode of lowmass star formation. Pre-main sequence stars are luminous X-ray sources, probably mostly owing to magnetic energy release. Aims. The XMM-Newton Extended Survey of the Taurus Molecular Cloud (XEST) presented in this paper surveys the most populated ≈5 square degrees of the TMC, using the XMM-Newton X-ray observatory to study the thermal structure, variability, and long-term evolution of hot plasma, to investigate the magnetic dynamo, and to search for new potential members of the association. Many targets are also studied in the optical, and high-resolution X-ray grating spectroscopy has been obtained for selected bright sources. Methods. The X-ray spectra have been coherently analyzed with two different thermal models (2-component thermal model, and a continuous emission measure distribution model). We present overall correlations with fundamental stellar parameters that were derived from the previous literature. A few detections from Chandra observations have been added. Results. The present overview paper introduces the project and provides the basic results from the X-ray analysis of all sources detected in the XEST survey. Comprehensive tables summarize the stellar properties of all targets surveyed. The survey goes deeper than previous X-ray surveys of Taurus by about an order of magnitude and for the first time systematically accesses very faint and strongly absorbed TMC objects. We find a detection rate of 85% and 98% for classical and weak-line T Tau stars (CTTS resp. WTTS), and identify about half of the surveyed protostars and brown dwarfs. Overall, 136 out of 169 surveyed stellar systems are detected. We describe an X-ray luminosity vs. mass correlation, discuss the distribution of X-ray-to-bolometric luminosity ratios, and show evidence for lower X-ray luminosities in CTTS compared to WTTS. Detailed analysis (e.g., variability, rotation-activity relations, influence of accretion on X-rays) will be discussed in a series of accompanying papers.

We report on the properties of pre-main-sequence objects in the Taurus molecular clouds as observed in 7 mid-and far-infrared bands with the Spitzer Space Telescope. There are 215 previously-identified members of the Taurus star-forming region in our ∼44 square degree map; these members exhibit a range of Spitzer colors that we take to define young stars still surrounded by circumstellar dust (noting that ∼20% of the bonafide Taurus members exhibit no detectable dust excesses). We looked for new objects in the survey field with similar Spitzer properties, aided -2by extensive optical, X-ray, and ultraviolet imaging, and found 148 candidate new members of Taurus. We have obtained follow-up spectroscopy for about half the candidate sample, thus far confirming 34 new members, 3 probable new members, and 10 possible new members, an increase of 15-20% in Taurus members. Of the objects for which we have spectroscopy, 7 are now confirmed extragalactic objects, and one is a background Be star. The remaining 93 candidate objects await additional analysis and/or data to be confirmed or rejected as Taurus members. Most of the new members are Class II M stars and are located along the same cloud filaments as the previously-identified Taurus members. Among non-members with Spitzer colors similar to young, dusty stars are evolved Be stars, planetary nebulae, carbon stars, galaxies, and AGN.Subject headings: stars: formation -stars: circumstellar matter -stars: pre-main sequenceinfrared: starswhere m is the reported magnitude (and F ν the flux density) for a given object, Z = 18.259, 17.204, and 14.837, and f = 1.94×10 −16 , 4.76×10 −16 , and 5.71×10 −15 ergs cm −2 s −1Å−1 counts −1 sec for U , UVW1, and UVW2 (respectively). In the equation, λ is in units ofÅ, and c is 3×10 18Å s −1 The effective wavelengths are 0.344, 0.291, and 0.212 µm for U , UVW1, and UVW2. There are ∼1600 objects with XMM-Newton OM flux densities in our catalog (0.2% of the entire catalog).We note that many of the X-ray detected XEST sources are likely background galaxies (see Güdel et al. 2007) and that XEST included regions not covered by our map, such as L1551.The XEST team assembled a catalog of supporting data from the literature, such as optical photometric measurements, for all of the previously-identified Taurus members (see §3.1.1 below); we have included these photometric points in our database, converting Johnson magnitudes to flux densities using zero-points available in the literature (e.g., Cox 2001 and references therein).The SEDs presented in this paper use all of these supporting data where available (except for the X-ray fluxes), and are presented as λF λ in cgs units (erg s −1 cm −2 ), against λ in microns.2 In SDSS, a "maggy" is the ratio of the flux density of the object to a standard flux density. The Sloan magnitudes are AB magnitudes, as opposed to Vega magnitudes. In the AB system, a flat spectrum object with 3631 Jy at each band should have every magnitude equal to zero, and all maggies equal to one. Flux densities returned by th...