Abstract
Interstellar H2O masers in the Galaxy occur in active star forming regions. The spectrum often shows multiple distinct features. The VLBI maps reveal that each spectral feature corresponds to emission of spatially distinct maser sources (maser spots), whose sizes are ≈ 1013cm. The maser in M33 is associated with the HII region complex IC133, which has been studied optically by Boulesteix et al. (1974) and Kiwitter and Aller (1981). This maser is the nearest (≤ 1Mpc) extragalactic H2O source visible in the northern sky, although it is not the strongest. It is known to have persisted for over a decade, and its spectra consistently show peak flux densities of ≈ 1.5 Jy and at least 10 features spread over ≈ 50 km s–1 (Huchtmeier, Eckart and Zensus 1988). Using VLBI Greehill et al. (1990) have obtained the positions of 14 H2O maser spots.
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have