AFGL 5180 and AFGL 6366S: sites of hub-filament systems at the opposite edges of a filamentary cloud

Abstract

We present a multiscale and multiwavelength study to unveil massive star formation (MSF) processes around sites AFGL 5180 and AFGL 6366S, both hosting a Class II 6.7 GHz methanol maser emission. The radio continuum map at 8.46 GHz reveals a small cluster of radio sources towards AFGL 5180. Signatures of the early stages of MSF in our target sites are spatially seen at the opposite edges of a filamentary cloud (length ~5pc), which is observed in the submillimetre dust continuum maps. Using the near-infrared photometric data, the spatial distribution of young stellar objects is found towards the entire filament, primarily clustered at its edges. The GETSF utility on the Herschel far-infrared images reveals a hub-filament system (HFS) towards each target site. The analysis of the molecular line data, which benefits from large area coverage (~1 degree x 1 degree), detects two cloud components with a connection in both position and velocity space. This supports the scenario of a cloud-cloud collision (CCC) that occurred ~1Myr ago. The filamentary cloud, connecting AFGL 5180 and AFGL 6366S, seems spatially close to an HII region Sh 2-247 excited by a massive O9.5 star. Based on the knowledge of various pressures exerted by the massive star on its surroundings, the impact of its energetic feedback on the filamentary cloud is found to be insignificant. Overall, our observational outcomes favour the possibility of the CCC scenario driving MSF and the formation of HFSs towards the target sites.