Abstract
A THICK, expanding envelope of dust and gas surrounds the unusual object IRC +10° 216. Microwave studies have identified numerous molecular constituents of the envelope1, and the thermal infrared spectrum indicates the probable presence of both silicon carbide and graphite in the form of dust grains (ref. 2, and M. P. Campbell, et al., unpublished). We report here the detection of acetylene, C2H2, in the infrared spectrum. Although acetylene is expected to be an important constituent of some stellar atmospheres, and possibly of interstellar molecular clouds, this appears to represent the first positive detection of C2H2 outside the solar system.
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RIDGWAY, S., HALL, D., KLEINMANN, S. et al. Circumstellar acetylene in the infrared spectrum of IRC +10° 216. Nature 264, 345–346 (1976). https://doi.org/10.1038/264345a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/264345a0
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