EXES Probes the Heart of Hot-Core Chemistry
Date
Image of the Orion KL region taken by the Gemini South Telescope. The cross marks the approximate position of the Orion hot core located at the center of an explosion generated by a multibody dynamical encounter about 500 years ago. The H₂ in red and [FeII] in blue trace finger-like tendrils resulting from the blast. The SOFIA EXES spectrum across the bottom of the image shows the Q1e–Q6e ro-vibrational transitions of the HNC molecule near 21.6 µm seen in absorption against IRc2.
Credit
Orion: Bally et al. 2015; Gemini South GSAOI; Spectrum: Nickerson et al., 2021
Image Number
SCI2021_007
