The maps provide unprecedented detail of the structure of the Orion A
molecular cloud, the closest star-forming region of high-mass stars.
It features his artistic vision of a
molecular cloud, using striking 3D representations of space, combined with interpretations of how star clusters form within the cloud.
The star is located in a
molecular cloud complex called Orion B, situated 1350 light-years away in the constellation of Orion, commonly known as "The Hunter."
One of the most clear detections comes from the source G159.6-18.5 within the Perseus
molecular cloud. However, this is actually a very weak HII region relative to the dust-correlated emission from the larger surrounding area (the Planck AME source is actually located at G160.26-18.62).
The stars associated with variable nebulae are often situated just inside the edge of a dense
molecular cloud through which one of the outflows has punched a conical cavity.
Of course, some of this reviewer's favorite topics-- the description and mapping of the local Universe, including new results from
molecular cloud and stellar formations, are present in force.
The Rosette Nebula, the latest part of space to be captured on film by Herschel, is a large, circular region located near one end of a giant
molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way Galaxy.
The Rosette Nebula is a large, circular region located near one end of a giant
molecular cloud in the Monoceros region of the Milky Way.
A third theory is that is was dropped by a
molecular cloud, or dropped by ice-laden cosmic dust.
In some regions of the Milky Way, hydrogen and other elements gravitate together to form giant
molecular clouds. One of the nearest examples is the Orion
Molecular Cloud, whose dark cloak of dust and gas spans 100 light-years in southern Orion.