2003IAUC.8078....1S

M. L. Sitko, University of Cincinnati; D. K. Lynch, R. W. Russell, and D. Kim, The Aerospace Corporation; and R. B. Perry, Langley Research Center, NASA, report on 3-13-micron spectroscopy of V838 Mon on Feb. 20.4 UT: "Using the Aerospace Broadband Array Spectrograph System on the NASA Infrared Telescope Facility 3-m telescope, we observed a choppy spectrum in which a quasi-continuum could be fit with a temperature of about 1000 K, with considerable temperature uncertainty. In the 8-13-micron window, a moderately strong silicate emission feature with a well-defined central absorption was apparent. The silicate absorption feature with red and blue emission wings resembled that of 'NML Cygnus' (Neugebauer, Martz, and Leighton 1965, Ap.J. 142, 399) reported by Molster et al. (2002, A.Ap. 382, 184) and of H II regions reported by Gillett et al. (1975, Ap.J. 200, 609). Narrowband magnitudes (each ± 0.05) were M [4.5 microns] = 2.5 and N [10.2 microns] = 1.4. There was little discernable change since our Jan. 8.4 measurement with the same instrument and telescope (IAUC 8054)."