Relative line strengths in the rotational structure of the (0-0) band of the gamma-prime system of TiO seen in emission in the spectrum of VY CMa yields a rotational temperature close to 600 K. This is intermediate between the temperatures found by Herbig in 1962 and 1966 which are 380 and 820 K, respectively. It is also in reasonable accord with the theoretical conclusion of Schwartz that the outer boundary of the circumstellar envelope is 300 K.
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Phillips et al. (1987) studied this question.