One arc-minute resolution maps of the Orion Nebula at 20, 50, and 100 microns

The paper presents maps of the central regions of the Orion Nebula which are based on observations made at wavelengths of 20, 50, and 100 microns with a resolution of 1 arcmin. The 50- and 100-micron observations were made with the NASA 91-cm Airborne Infrared Telescope. The principal far-IR features observed include a sharp emission peak near the position of the IR cluster, about 1 arcmin northwest of the Trapezium; a ridge of emission that is elongated north-south about this peak; and a barlike feature running northeast to southwest about 2 arcmin southeast of the Trapezium. The following conclusions are reached about the nature of the far-IR emission: (1) the total luminosity (between 10 and 1000 microns) of the IR cluster exceeds the solar luminosity by a factor of at least 120,000; (2) heating by both the IR cluster and the Trapezium stars is important in producing the central emission ridge; (3) the IR cluster is located within the molecular cloud; (4) the Trapezium stars are no more than 0.1 pc from that cloud; and (5) the bar of emission southeast of the Trapezium can be identified with an optically visible ionization front.