A Search for OH Emission from the Magellanic Clouds

Abstract

The rich variety and large number of HII regions in the Magellanic Clouds prompted a preliminary search for high-intensity anomalous OH emission similar to that observed in the direction of galactic HII regions (McGee et al. 1965; Weaver et al. 1965; Weinreb et al. 1965; Zuckerman, Lilley, and Penfield 1965). The two strongest emitters in the Galaxy are Sgr B2 and W 49, the distances to which are 10 and 15 kpc (Akabane and Kerr 1965) respectively. It was estimated that at the distance of the Magellanic Clouds the emission from Sgr B2 would be detectable and that from W 49 well above noise.