UBV photometry in W3

However, although these systems show an age sequence, they do not provide strong evidence of a causal relationship. The W3/W4 Galactic star-forming complex suggests a three-generation hierarchy: the supergiant shell structures correspond to the oldest generation; these triggered the formation of IC 1795 in W3, the progenitor of a molecular superbubble that in turn triggered the current star-forming episodes in the embedded regions W3-North, W3-Main, and W3-OH.

We present UBV photometry and spectroscopic classifications for IC 1795, which show an age of 3-5 Myr. This age is intermediate between the reported 6-20 Myr age of the supergiant shell system and the extremely young ages (10^4^-10^5^yr) for the embedded knots of the ultracompact HII regions, W3-North, W3-Main, and W3-OH. Thus, an age sequence is indeed confirmed for the entire W3/W4 hierarchical system.