Title:  Young Stars near Earth: 
        Implications for the Origin of Planetary Systems

Ben Zuckerman
University of Califoenia at Los Angeles


Abstract:
 
The past few years have witnessed the identification of three associations
of very young stars within ~50 pc of Earth.  The age range of these stars,
10-40 Myrs, spans a time interval believed by many to have been critical
in the formation of our own planetary system.  The stars in question will
surely be targeted over and over again in future years by space and ground
based astronomers hoping to witness the evolution of young planets and the
dusty/gaseous disks from which they form.  In addition, these stars can
teach us much about early stellar evolution and the recent history of the
solar neighborhood.