DETECTION OF H-2 EMISSION TOWARDS THE WOLF-RAYET NEBULA NGC-2359

Authors
STLOUIS N DOYON R CHAGNON F NADEAU D
Citation
N. Stlouis et al., DETECTION OF H-2 EMISSION TOWARDS THE WOLF-RAYET NEBULA NGC-2359, Astrophysics and space science, 224(1-2), 1995, pp. 271-274
Citations number
15
Categorie Soggetti
Astronomy & Astrophysics
Journal title
Astrophysics and space science → ACNP
ISSN journal
0004640X
Volume
224
Issue
1-2
Year of publication
1995
Pages
271 - 274
Database
ISI
SICI code
0004-640X(1995)224:1-2<271:DOHETT>2.0.ZU;2-D
Abstract
We report the first detection of molecular hydrogen emission in the vi cinity of a Wolf-Rayet star and nebula. The spatial distribution of th e excited molecular gas is filamentary and is not correlated with the distribution of the ionised gas as traced by optical emission lines. T he typical H-2 surface brightness in the filaments is 5x 10(-5) ergs s (-1) cm(-2) str(-1). We demonstrate that the excitation mechanism can be shocks or fluorescence from the strong ultraviolet flux of the WR s tar.