NEWS OF THE WEEK ASTROCHEMISTRY
EYE IN THE SKY Newly acquired IR images and spectra reveal material outflow in the vicinity of a newborn star from a region of space that appears dark and featureless when probed with visible light.
STARS, CELESTIAL MOLECULES ON VIEW IR telescope lifts the cosmic veil to reveal galactic chemical composition
P
EERING DEEP INTO SPACE
with a suite of infrared-sensitive instruments, NASA's orbiting IR observatory has begun beaming down images and spectra that reveal cosmic features never before seen. Showcasing the Spitzer Space Telescope's capabilities at a recent press conference, NASA displayed dazzling IR images of stars and galaxies that appear nearly featureless
AIR
in the visible-wavelength region. Launched this past August, the IR observatory joins the X-ray and gamma-ray observatories and the Hubble Space Telescope that orbit Earth while probing galactic secrets using wavelength-specific instruments. One of the newly acquired Spitzer images shows material flowing out of a newborn star in a region of space that's shrouded by a dust cloud and appears dark and featureless in previous images recorded in visible light. Training the observatory's IR spectrometer on the same point in space, astronomers detected
POLLUTION
COURT PUTS EPA RULE ON HOLD Order halts regulation easing emission controls for upgraded facilities
A UP IN SMOKE Old coal-fired power plants that supply most U.S. electricity will be most affected by the court decision. 12
C&EN
/ JANUARY
5,
FEDERAL COURT ON DEC.
24,2003, blocked a Bush Administration regulation that would have made it easier for chemical companies, refineries, and power plants to upgrade older facilities without installing modern air pollution controls. The EPA regulation was scheduled to take effect on Dec. 26. At issue is the new source review provision of the Clean Air Act. T h a t provision requires companies to install modern pollution controls when renovations to plants built before 1970 increase emissions. The regulation
2004
would allow businesses to modify facilities without triggering these requirements if the cost of new equipment does not exceed 20% of the replacement value of the entire manufacturing unit (C&EN, Sept. 1,2003, page 7). Industry groups, including the American Chemistry Council, support the regulation, saying new source review has held them back from modernizing plants. However, many state regulators and environmental groups strongly oppose the regulation, saying it guts new source review provisions and will increase air pollution.
carbon dioxide, water, methanol, and other compounds (spectrum available at C&ENOnline). Referred to as an "outflow," the object in the IR image results from interactions between interstellar matter and high speed gas jets ejected from young stars. The data provide scientists with new opportunities to study processes involved in the formation of lowmass stars, such as the sun. The IR observatory also recorded images and spectra from a galaxy some 3 billion light years from Earth. The spectra reveal the presence of CO, C 0 2 , silicates, hydrocarbons, molecular hydrogen, and other species. The distant object is one of the brightest galaxies ever imaged, according to NASA researchers. Cornell University astronomy professor James R. Houck, who heads the scientific team, noted that the spectrum "gives evidence for organic chemistry in a distant galaxy shortly after the formation of Earth."—MITCH JACOBY
Fourteen states, 30 cities, and several environmental groups sued the Bush Administration over the rule. At their request, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit halted implementation of the regulation until the court reaches a final decision, sometime late this year. The court said the regulation's opponents "have demonstrated the irreparable harm" from the rule "and likelihood ofsuccess" oftheir legal case. The court action directly affects more than 100 old coal-fired power plants that are the U.S.'s largest air polluters and were facing federal legal action before the new regulation was issued. Ronald A. Shipley, counsel for ACCs air team, says the chemical manufacturers group is disappointed in the court's action. "Irreparable harm" would not occur to public health or the environment if the regulation is implemented before the case is resolved, he says.-CHERYL H0GUE HTTP://WWW.CEN-ONLINE.ORG
