Abstract
We present high-resolution and high signal-to-noise spectra of interstellar calcium towards SN1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud (LMC). They supplement previously published observations1,2 for Ca II and provide completely new results for the Ca I spectrum, in which eleven components are detected, not only at velocities corresponding to our Galaxy and the LMC, but also at intermediate velocities. Our spectra, that allow us to estimate the ionization balance in these interstellar clouds, provide some clues about their physical state and location. In particular, the components between 150 and 200 km sā1 show a much lower ionization degree than other components. This may be due to recent compression of the gas by a shock, possibly associated with a former supernova explosion. This interpretation would require the corresponding clouds to be located inside the LMC, indicating that at least some intermediate velocity components are not of halo origin.
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Magain, P. Interstellar calcium towards supernova 1987A in the Large Magellanic Cloud. Nature 329, 606ā607 (1987). https://doi.org/10.1038/329606a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/329606a0
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