2 MICRON SPECTROPHOTOMETRY OF THE ORION NEBULA AND THE DETECTION OF SIGNIFICANT [FE-III] EMISSION

We present 2.0-2.4 mum spectra of the Orion Nebula (NGC 1976) made by stepping a long-slit spectrometer across the nebula. We have synthesized the spectrum of the Orion Nebula in a large effective aperture of 4' x 6' by combining the individual long-slit spectra. We have also extracted spectra from two smaller regions where we have observed strong H-2 and [Fe III] line emission, respectively. We detect significant [Fe III] emission and suggest that at low spectral resolutions some [Fe III] lines would be blended with critical H-2 lines and thus affect determinations of the H-2 excitation mechanism.