HIGH-RESOLUTION OBSERVATIONS OF (CO)-O-18 AND THE 2.7 MM CONTINUUM TOWARD NGC-2024

NGC 2024 has been imaged in the J = 1 - 0 line of (CO)-O-18 and in the continuum at a wavelength of 2.7 mm with a spatial resolution of simi lar to 10''. The continuum images show four features found in previous studies. A 160 mJy point source coincides with the position of IRS 2. When the flux density at 2.7 mm is combined with those at 6 cm and 1. 3 cm, we find that the flux density of this source depends on frequenc y, nu, as nu 1.3. The positions of the other three continuum sources a gree very well with the positions of the 1.3 mm sources FIR 3, 5 and 6 , given by Mezger et al. (1988, 1992). Combining the 2.7 and 1.3 mm fl ux densities, we find that flux density shows a dependence greater tha n or equal to nu 4. Using our upper limits to the 2.7 mm continuum flu x densities at the positions of FIR 1, 2, 4 and 7, we obtain a similar dependence. (CO)-O-18 emission is found in 3 slightly extended region s. The two southern peaks are offset from the positions of FIR 5 and F IR 6. The northern peak is located less than or equal to 4'' from the position of FIR 2. For the (CO)-O-18 clouds, H-2 column densities from the virial theorem give (CO/H-2) ratios of similar to 10(-5), about 1 0% of the normally used value.