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We present the first analysis in NGC 2071-North as a resolved hub–filament featuring a double centre. This ∼1.5 × 1.5 pc2 scale filament hub contains ∼500 M⊙. Seen from Planck, magnetic field lines may have facilitated the gathering of material at this isolated location. The energy balance analysis, supported by infalling gas signatures, reveals that these filaments are currently forming stars. Herschel 100 $\mu$m emission concentrates in the hub, at IRAS 05451+0037 and LkHα 316, and presents diffuse lobes and loops around them. We suggest that such a double centre could be formed, because the converging locations of filament pairs are offset, by 2.3 arcmin (0.27 pc). This distance also matches the diameter of a hub ring, seen in column density and molecular tracers, such as HCO+ (1–0) and HCN (1–0), that may indicate a transition and the connection between the hub and the radiating filaments. We argue that all of the three components of the emission star LkHα 316 are in physical association. We find that a ∼0.06-pc-sized gas loop, attached to IRAS 05451+0037, can be seen at wavelengths all the way from the Panoramic Survey Telescope and Rapid Response System (Pan-STARRS)-i to Herschel 100 $\mu$m. These observations suggest that both protostars at the double hub centre are interacting with the cloud material. In our 13CO data, we do not seem to find the outflow of this region that was identified in the 1980s with much lower resolution.

Polarized dust emission is a key tracer in the study of interstellar medium and of star formation. The observed polarization, however, is a product of magnetic field structure, dust grain properties, and grain alignment efficiency, as well as their variations in the line of sight, making it difficult to interpret polarization unambiguously. The comparison of polarimetry at multiple wavelengths is a possible way of mitigating this problem. We use data from HAWC+ /SOFIA and from SCUBA-2/POL-2 (from the BISTRO survey) to analyse the NGC 2071 molecular cloud at 154, 214, and 850 $\mu$m. The polarization angle changes significantly with wavelength over part of NGC 2071, suggesting a change in magnetic field morphology on the line of sight as each wavelength best traces different dust populations. Other possible explanations are the existence of more than one polarization mechanism in the cloud or scattering from very large grains. The observed change of polarization fraction with wavelength, and the 214-to-154 $\mu$m polarization ratio in particular, are difficult to reproduce with current dust models under the assumption of uniform alignment efficiency. We also show that the standard procedure of using monochromatic intensity as a proxy for column density may produce spurious results at HAWC+wavelengths. Using both long-wavelength (POL-2, 850 $\mu$m) and short-wavelength (HAWC+, $\lesssim 200\, \mu$m) polarimetry is key in obtaining these results. This study clearly shows the importance of multi-wavelength polarimetry at submillimetre bands to understand the dust properties of molecular clouds and the relationship between magnetic field and star formation.