NEAR-INFRARED IMAGES OF THE 30-DORADUS REGION

Near-infrared (JHK) images of the giant HII region 30 Doradus were obtained. The overall stellar and extended appearance in the near infrared coincides with the optical morphology. However, several highly reddened objects are found in these images, some of them corresponding to previously reported "protostars", while others seem to be new tracers of recent massive star formation. In particular, we present a new infrared cluster to the NE and a chain of knot-like features apparently associated with an extended structure to the SW of the central cluster, both of which coincide with far-infrared and intense CO emission peaks.