Results from the analysis of HST FOS, WFPC1, IUE, and CTIO 4m observations of the morphology, physical conditions, and chemical abundances in the unusually dusty H II region N88A in the Small Magellanic Cloud are presented. HST WFPC1 imagery of N88A indicate the nebula is bi-lobed due to a dark dust lane cutting across the center of the nebula. The presence of a high ionization arc, apparently connecting two semi-stellar objects within the nebula, is reported. The derived reddening curve for the nebula is flatter in the UV than the general SMC extinction curve, suggesting the presence of large grains. Carbon and possibly nitrogen abundances are enriched in the nebula. The conclusion is that SMC N88A is a very young H II region forming out of a small dusty C- and N-rich molecular cloud which is being disrupted by star formation in a larger OB association in the area.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:RICE/oai:scholarship.rice.edu:1911/17189 |
| Date | January 1998 |
| Creators | Kurt, Cindy Marie |
| Contributors | Dufour, Reginald J. |
| Source Sets | Rice University |
| Language | English |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis, Text |
| Format | 50 p., application/pdf |
Page generated in 0.0018 seconds