ISO-SWS Detection of Interstellar CH3
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These two spectral lines are the 'signature' of the methyl radical CH3.
The ratio between the lines reveals the excitation temperature of the
CH3 gas, -256: Celsius. The chemical structure of CH3 is shown at the
upper left side of the image, with the carbon atom depicted in green
between the three hydrogens. An image taken at the Calar Alto observatory
(Granada, Spain), showing the region of the galactic centre where CH3
was detected is given in the lower left. The source IRS 7, marked with an
arrow, is very bright in the mid-infrared, and worked as a 'background
lamp' in this observation, helping astronomers to detect the signal from
CH3.
Last Update: 1 September 2019