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ABSTRACT

Maddalena and Thaddeus 1985

Maddalena, R.J., and P. Thaddeus, 1985: A large, cold, and unusual molecular cloud in Monoceros. Astrophys. J., 294, 231-237, doi:10.1086/163291.

Observations of the J = 1 → 0 rotational transition of CO near the galactic plane in Monoceros (l ≈ is approximately 216°) reveal a molecular cloud with unusually low peak CO temperatures (TR 2 K) but wide lines (~ 7 km/s) typical of much warmer clouds. At the assumed distance of 3 kpc, the cloud is large (250×100 pc), has a mass of 7-11×105M, and is well removed from the galactic midplane (130 pc). Except for a possible H II region, all the signs of star formation usually shown by clouds of comparable mass are missing. The cloud, unlike cloud complexes of similar size, is a single, continuous object that apparently has not been torn apart by star formation. Clouds with such properties are rare in the Galaxy; only one or two similar objects have been found. We discuss the possibility that the cloud is young and not yet forming stars but will evolve into a typical cloud complex once star formation begins.

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