An Etymological Dictionary of Astronomy and Astrophysics
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فرهنگ ریشه شناختی اخترشناسی-اخترفیزیک

M. Heydari-Malayeri    -    Paris Observatory

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Number of Results: 1 Search : carbon monoxide
carbon monoxide (CO)
  مونوکسید ِ کربون   
monoksid-e karbon (#)

Fr.: monoxyde de carbone   

A colorless, odorless, very poisonous gas which burns in air with a bright blue flame to form → carbon dioxide. CO gives rise to a violent explosion when ignited in air in certain proportions. It occurs in coal gas and in the exhaust fumes of motor engines. Melting point -207 °C; boiling point -191.1 °C.
Carbon monoxide is the most important → molecule found in the → interstellar medium, and is produced through several chemical reactions, → CO formation. It was discovered in 1970 by R. Wilson and A. Penzias of Bell Laboratories, using the 11-m telescope of the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) in the direction of the → Orion nebula. Because the CO line is so intense and widely distributed in space, this molecule is a most useful tool for tracing the ISM. In addition, measurement of its rare isotopes have shown that the main line 12C16O (wavelength 2.6 mm, 115 GHz) is → optically thick, that is the → column density of the molecule is so high that the material becomes opaque at the transition frequency. Moreover, the upper-energy levels of the CO molecule are easily excited by collision with → molecular hydrogen. The combination of high → optical depth and the ease of → excitation imply that CO emission brightness will accurately reflect the local gas temperature. CO is also one of the principal molecules detected in → comet nuclei.

carbon; → mono-; → oxide.