Perseus molecular cloud

Perseus Molecular Cloud

Molecular cloud
Giant molecular cloud
Map of the Perseus molecular cloud
Observation data: J2000.0 [1] epoch
Right ascension	03h 35.0m [1]
Declination	+31° 13′ [1]
Distance	956–1047  ly    (293–321 [2]   pc)
Apparent dimensions (V)	6°×2°
Constellation	Perseus
Designations	Perseus Molecular Cloud, Perseus Cloud, Per MCld, Per Mol Cloud, Perseus Complex, PMC [1]
See also: Lists of nebulae

Perseus molecular cloud (green and blue) in front of HII regions (red), seen by the Northern Sky Narrowband Survey.

The Perseus molecular cloud (Per MCld) is a nearby (~1000 ly) giant molecular cloud in the constellation of Perseus and contains over 10,000 solar masses of gas and dust covering an area of 6 by 2 degrees. Unlike the Orion molecular cloud it is almost invisible apart from two clusters, IC 348 and NGC 1333, where low-mass stars are formed. It is very bright at mid and far-infrared wavelengths and in the submillimeter originating in dust heated by the newly formed low-mass stars.

It shows a curious ring structure in maps made by the IRAS and MSX satellites and the Spitzer Space Telescope and has been detected by the COSMOSOMAS at microwave frequencies as a source of anomalous "spinning dust" emission.

Perseus Molecular Cloud

Location

Annotated

Full resolution

Spitzer Space Telescope (19 December 2019)

References

1. "NAME Perseus Cloud". SIMBAD . Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg . Retrieved 2014-03-14.
2. Ortiz-León, Gisela N.; Loinard, Laurent; Dzib, Sergio A.; Galli, Phillip A. B.; Kounkel, Marina; Mioduszewski, Amy J.; Rodríguez, Luis F.; Torres, Rosa M.; Hartmann, Lee; Boden, Andrew F.; Evans, Neal J. II; Briceño, Cesar; Tobin, John J. (2018). "The Gould's Belt Distances Survey (GOBELINS). V. Distances and Kinematics of the Perseus Molecular Cloud". The Astrophysical Journal. 865 (1): 73. arXiv: 1808.03499 . Bibcode:2018ApJ...865...73O. doi: 10.3847/1538-4357/aada49 . S2CID   119422324.

• Bally, J.; Walawender, J.; Johnstone, D.; Kirk, H.; Goodman, A. (December 2008). "The Perseus Cloud". Handbook of Star Forming Regions, Volume I: The Northern Sky. ASP Monograph Publications. Vol. 4. p. 308. Bibcode:2008hsf1.book..308B. ISBN   978-1-58381-670-7.
• Kirk, Helen; Johnstone, Doug; Di Francesco, James (August 2006). "The Large- and Small-Scale Structures of Dust in the Star-forming Perseus Molecular Cloud". The Astrophysical Journal. 646 (2): 1009–1023. arXiv: astro-ph/0602089 . Bibcode:2006ApJ...646.1009K. doi:10.1086/503193. S2CID   1173412.
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