Interstellar C2 molecules toward Zeta Persei

A search for absorption by interstellar C2 molecules, conducted at the (2-0) Phillips band near 8760 A, is reported for three stars. No interstellar absorption is seen in the spectra of 20 Tau and Epsilon Aur, at upper limits of approximately 5 mA and 1 mA, respectively. Toward Zeta Per, however, the R(0), Q(2), and Q(4) lines are detected, and a useful upper limit on the Q(6) line is obtained. The resulting column density, 1.4 x 10 to the 13th to 2.0 x 10 to the 13th per sq cm, and the excitation temperature, T = (78 plus or minus 25) K, show acceptable agreement with an existing theoretical model of the absorbing cloud.