Program: GN-2020B-Q-207

One of the major astronomical puzzles today concerns the origin of the pervasive Galactic plane 1.809 MeV gamma-ray emission, which arises from the decay of radioactive 26Al to 26Mg. The sources responsible for the production of 26Al are yet to be clearly identified, but it is believed that novae and novae-like objects are contributors. We wish to explore this hypothesis by trying to detect bands of 26AlO in the H and K window, in the unique and oldest known nova-like object CK Vul (dating from 1670), where 26Al was recently discovered (for the first time in a stellar object) via mm wave line emission from 26AlF. A positive infrared detection of 26AlO will not only independently confirm CK Vul to be a producer of radioactive 26Al, but also will help estimate its contribution, and that of similar sources, to the Galactic 26Al budget. Our second objective, equally important as the 26AlO exploration, is the full 1-2.5 micron spectrum that we will obtain in seeking the 26AlO detection. Our spectrum will be the first near-infrared spectrum of this fascinating object, and will provide information about the central white dwarf and the circumstellar material close to it.