The Interstellar Clouds Called Molecular Clouds Are _________. (2024)

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The Interstellar Clouds Called Molecular Clouds Are _________.? ›

They are called "molecular" clouds because they are cold enough to allow their hydrogen atoms to pair up into hydrogen molecules (H2). What is a protostar

A molecular cloud, sometimes called a stellar nursery (if star formation is occurring within), is a type of interstellar cloud, the density and size of which permit absorption nebulae, the formation of molecules (most commonly molecular hydrogen, H₂), and the formation of H II regions.

Molecular cloud is a cool, dense interstellar cloud in which the low temperature allow hydrogen to pass up into hydrogen molecules.

A molecular cloud is an interstellar cloud of gas and dust in which molecules can form, the most common of which is hydrogen (H₂). The Hubble Space Telescope has provided us with images of numerous young solar mass stars forming in giant molecular clouds such as the Eagle and Orion Nebulae.

Molecular clouds range greatly in size and density, from small clouds less than a light-year across up to the giant molecular clouds (GMCs), which are over 100 light-years across and contain enough material to make several hundred thousand stars.

The mass of molecular clouds is dominated by molecular hydrogen. The gas in these clouds is very cold, perhaps only a few tens of degrees above absolute zero, and hydrogen molecules are in their least excited state.

The largest molecular clouds are visible to the naked eye, appearing as dark patches against the brighter background of the Milky Way Galaxy. An example is the Coalsack in the southern sky. Stars are born within molecular clouds.

A collection of gas and dust over 500 light-years across, the Perseus Molecular Cloud hosts an abundance of young stars.

Molecular Clouds are a type of nebulae, so again, not all nebulae are star-forming regions but they often are. These are known as diffuse nebulae and dark nebulae. Planetary Nebulae release spectral lines similar to those found in star-forming regions but they do not form stars.

What is interstellar space made of? ›

The interstellar medium is filled primarily with hydrogen gas. A relatively significant amount of helium has also been detected, along with smaller percentages of such substances as calcium, sodium, water, ammonia, and formaldehyde. Sizable quantities of dust particles of uncertain composition are present as well.

The Taurus molecular cloud is only 140 pc (430 ly) away from Earth, making it possibly the nearest large star formation region.

The typical temperature of a molecular cloud is 10 Kelvin (ten degrees above absolute zero), which is more than 200 degrees colder than the coldest places on Earth. Also, the density of the material in a molecular cloud is far lower than in clouds on Earth.

Interstellar clouds can be large, up to 10⁶ solar masses, and are often said to be the most massive entities in the galaxy. In this form, they may have a lifetime of more than 10⁸ years. They are presumably dissipated as a result of pressure from stars formed within the clouds.

Interstellar medium exists between the vast distances of stars and is comprised mostly of diffused hydrogen and helium gases. Interstellar clouds form out of spewed material from aging and dying stars such as red giants and supernovae. Red giants expand material into their surround region creating interstellar clouds.

the matter between stars, composed of two components, gas and dust, intermixed throughout all of space.

An Interstellar Cloud is generally an accumulation of gas, plasma, and dust in our and other galaxies. But differently, an interstellar cloud is a denser-than-average region of the interstellar medium, the matter and radiation that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy.

The nebula which results from a supernova is known as a supernova remnant. Molecular Clouds are a particular type of nebula, typically ranging from 50 light years to 300 light years across and containing anywhere between 10⁵ and 10⁷ solar masses of material.