McMillan, Stephen2020-09-082020-09-082020-06https://hdl.handle.net/11299/216067University of Minnesota M.S. thesis. June 2020. Major: Physics. Advisor: Robert Gehrz. 1 computer file (PDF); vi, 24 pages.Spectroscopic observations of the massive eclipsing binary RY Scuti and its double-ringed circumstellar nebula with the Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy (SOFIA) were modeled using the Cloudy photoionization to determine the abundance of neon in the ionized gas torus. Line ratios were taken, and a best fit simulation was produced using chi-squared analysis as a measure of the goodness of fit. Using this best fit simulation, it was determined the neon to hydrogen ratio is overabundant with respect to solar levels by a factor of 5.3 ± 0.9. This value falls within the range of abundances previously determined for RY Scuti. Study of the abundances suggests hydrogen might be depleted in the system, further confirmation of the possibility that RY Scuti is a Wolf-Rayet progenitor.enThesis or Dissertation