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Molecular gas hemisphere (galactic anticentre direction)

Submitted by Kevin Jardine on 20 July, 2012 - 10:29


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This shows the full 3-dimensional velocity map hemisphere for the molecular gas in the direction of the galactic anticentre (outer galaxy). It has been dissected to reveal warmer 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 Orion region and the dark clouds in Taurus and Perseus are visible below 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.