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Molecular gas hemisphere (galactic centre direction)

Submitted by Kevin Jardine on 20 July, 2012 - 10:08


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This shows the 3-dimensional velocity map hemisphere for the molecular gas in the direction of the galactic centre (inner galaxy). It has been dissected to reveal warmer molecular gas within the colder molecular clouds. The colour ranges from magenta (0.5 °K) through to blue, green and finally pale red (10 °K).

Local large molecular clouds from the Rift complex of dark clouds (especially the Aquila rift) as well as the Ophiuchus dark clouds are visible above the galactic plane.

You can see a version of this image that just shows the extent of the cold molecular gas (0.5 °K) here.

This data is taken from the composite molecular gas survey produced by researchers at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics. The composite data released so far is not yet all-sky but is restricted to |b| atomic hydrogen equivalent to this image.