Perseus molecular cloud

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)

• Bally, J.; Walawender, J.; Johnstone, D.; Kirk, H.; Goodman, A. (December 2008). The Perseus Cloud. Vol. 4. p. 308. Bibcode:2008hsf1.book..308B. ISBN 978-1-58381-670-7. {{cite book}}: |journal= ignored (help)
• 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.
• More on THE ASTROPHYSICAL JOURNAL http://iopscience.iop.org/0004-637X/656/1/293