JHK' photometry near IRAS 18507+0121

Two compact molecular cores are detected: one north and one south, separated by ~40". The northern molecular core contains a newly discovered, deeply embedded, B2 protostar surrounded by several hundred solar masses of warm gas and dust, G34.4+0.23 MM.

Based on the presence of warm dust emission and the lack of detection at NIR wavelengths, we suggest that G34.4+0.23 MM may represent the relatively rare discovery of a massive protostar (e.g., analogous to a low-mass "Class 0" protostar). The southern molecular core is associated with an NIR cluster of young stars and an ultracompact HII region, G34.4+0.23, with a central B0.5 star. The fraction of NIR stars with excess infrared emission indicative of circumstellar material is greater than 50%, which suggests an upper limit on the age of the IRAS 18507+0121 star-forming region of 3Myr.