Far-Infrared Observations of H II Regions from Balloon Altitudes

Photometric mearsurements of the 40-350 mu radiation from a number of H II regions were made during a series of balloons flights in 1972 September. Several of the objects had noi previously been observed in the far-infared. The telescope used employs a star tracker for offset guidance from visible stars, and the positional accuracy achieved is sufficient for unambiguous identification of all the sources wiih radio objects. Most of these are compact or contain a number of compact H II regions, and an approximately linear relationship holds between their far-infrared and radio-continuum fluxes. In the case of two extended regions, NGC 6357 and NGC 6334, detailed contours were obtained which show structure similar to that observed at radio-continuum frequencies, but the brightest infrared component in NGC 6334 is associated not with a center of radio- continuum radiation but with an OH/H/sub 2/O maser source. The explanation of far-infrared emission in terms of radiating dust grains is discussed in relation to these observations. (auth)