We propose to map the Orion A molecular cloud complex, including
OMC-1, OMC-2, and OMC-3, using the ISOPHOT C200 camera and the 200 um
filter. Our ISO 200/100um mapping program of molecular clouds in
the DLEMKE.ISDUST GT Program has been very succesful and has
shown that the ISOPHOT 200 um capability enables us to detect
the very cold dust condensations in dense molecular cloud targets
which are probably the earliest pre-protostellar stages, most of them
not detected by IRAS at 100 um.
Because of the visibility constraints the Orion Molecular Cloud A was
not included in our original autumn launch target list. Neither is it
being mapped at 200 um by any other ISO observer(s).
The Orion A Molecular Cloud is, however, the best-studied
star formation region in our neighbourhood. The ISOPHOT 200 um
mapping would provide a new and unparalleled data set for Orion MC.
Being the nearest high-mass star formation region the Orion MC can
also serve as a template object for other, more distant star formation
regions.
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