FIRST SCIENCE OBSERVATIONS WITH SOFIA/FORCAST: 6-37 μm IMAGING OF ORION BN/KL

摘要

The Becklin-Neugebauer/Kleinmann-Low (BN/KL) region of the Orion Nebula is the nearest region of high-mass star formation in our galaxy. As such,it has been the subject of intense investigation at a variety of wavelengths,which have revealed it to be brightest in the infrared to submillimeter wavelength regime.Using the newly commissioned SOFIA airborne telescope and its 5-40μm camera FORCAST,images of the entire BN/KL complex have been acquired.The 31.5 and 37.1μm images represent the highest resolution observations (≤4") ever obtained of this region at these wavelengths.These observations reveal that the BN object is not the dominant brightness source in the complex at wavelengths≥ 31.5 μm and that this distinction goes instead to the source IRc4.It was determined from these images and derived dust color temperature maps that IRc4 is also likely to be self-luminous.A new source of emission has also been identified at wavelengths≥ 31.5μm that coincides with the northeastern outflow lobe from the protostellar disk associated with radio source I.