The → mid-infrared radiation which is scattered by unusually large
→ dust grains in the denser core regions of
→ molecular clouds. It occurs between 3 and 5 μm,
when the light from nearby stars undergoes → scattering
by the grains
provided that they are about 1 μm in size, instead of 0.1 μm, as
previously thought. Coreshine, which was detected in Spitzer IRAC data, is a widespread
astronomical phenomenon. It is found across dozens of
→ dark clouds in the Galaxy and during all the phases of the
→ low-mass star formation (Pagani et al. 2010, Science, 329, 1622).
See also → cloudshine.
See also: → core; → shine.