The Complex Mid-infrared Structure at the Heart of Iras 20126+4104

The mid-infrared emission at the center of IRAS 21026+4104 is not that of a simple compact source, as one would expect from an isolated high mass protostellar object. Furthermore the central thermal infrared emission does not appear to be coming directly from a circumstellar disk as has been recently hypothesized from near-infrared observations. The mid-infrared structure is complex, but with the help of multiple wavelength information two plausible scenarios to explain the emission in the region are advanced. The first is that there is a tight cluster of young stellar objects here. The second is that the mid-infrared emission and masers are delineating the walls of the outflow cavities of a massive stellar source located in the center of the nearand mid-infrared dark lane. Subject headings: circumstellar matter — infrared: ISM — ISM: individual (IRAS 20126+4104) — stars: formation — stars: early type