Far-Infrared Observations of H II Regions from Balloon Altitudes
Abstract
Photometric measurements of the radiation from a number of H II regions were made during a series of balloon flights in 1972 September. Several of the objects had not previously been observed in the far-infrared. The telescope used employs a star tracker for offset guidance from visible stars, and the positional accuracy achieved is sufficient for unambiguous identification of all the sources with radio objects. Most of these are compact or contain a number of compact H II regions, and an approximately linear relationship holds between their far-infrared and radiocontinuum fluxes. In the case of two extended regions, NGC 6357 and NGC 6334, detailed contours were obtained which show structure similar to that observed at radio-continuum frequencies, but the brightest infrared component in NGC 6334 is associated not with a center of radiocontinuum radiation but with an OH/H2O maser source. The explanation of far-infrared emission in terms of radiating dust grains is discussed in relation to these observations. Subject headings: infrared - nebulae - molecular masers - interstellar matter - radio sources
- Publication:
-
The Astrophysical Journal
- Pub Date:
- September 1973
- DOI:
- 10.1086/152339
- Bibcode:
- 1973ApJ...184..401E