A systematic survey for infrared star clusters with |b|<20deg using   2MASS
  We used star density maps obtained from 2MASS to obtain a sample of star clusters in the entire Galactic Plane with |b|<20deg. A total of 1788 star cluster candidates are identified in this survey. Among those are 681 previously known open clusters and 86 globular clusters. A statistical analysis indicates that our sample of 1021 new cluster candidates has a contamination of about 50%. Star cluster parameters are obtained by fitting a King profile to the star density. These parameters are used to statistically identify probable new globular cluster candidates in our sample. A detailed investigation of the projected distribution of star clusters in the Galaxy demonstrates that they show a clear tendency to cluster on spatial scales in the order of 12-25pc, a typical size for molecular clouds. 
D. Froebrich (1,4), A. Scholz (2), C. L. Raftery (3), ((1) Dublin   Institute for Advanced Studies, Dublin 2, Ireland (2) Un...