Secondary star formation in IC 1396

The possible formation of a new stellar generation may be seen in the bright rimmed dark clouds that surround the giant HII region IC 1396. A well-defined ring of IRAS point sources is projected near the ionization front indicated by the bright rims. It is suggested that some of these sources are young stellar objects and the majority represents density enhancements in the shocked neutral gas layer preceding the ionization front which might eventually become stars. (author). 3 figs., 2 tabs., 20 refs