Right ascension 03 35.0 Distance 600 ly Constellation Perseus | Declination +31° 13′ Apparent dimensions (V) 6°×2° | |
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Designations Perseus Molecular Cloud, Perseus Cloud, Per MCld, Per Mol Cloud, Perseus Complex, PMC | ||
The Perseus molecular cloud (Per MCld) is a nearby (600 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 recently detected by the COSMOSOMAS at microwave frequencies as a source of anomalous "spinning dust" emission.
References
Perseus molecular cloud Wikipedia(Text) CC BY-SA