Scoville, N. Z. and Solomon, P. M. and Sanders, D. B. (1979) CO observations of spiral structure and the lifetime of giant molecular clouds. In: The Large-Scale Characteristics of the Galaxy. IAU Symposium Proceedings Series. No.84. D. Reidel , Dordrecht, pp. 277-283. ISBN 9789027710291. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20181116-095208580
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Abstract
Observations of CO emission at ℓ=0 to 70°, |b| ≤ 1° are analyzed to give a map of the molecular cloud distribution in the galaxy as viewed from the galactic pole. From the fact that this distribution shows no obvious spiral pattern we conclude that the giant molecular clouds sampled in the CO line are situated in both arm and interarm regions and they must last more than 10^8 years. A similar age estimate is deduced from the large mass fraction of H_2 in the interstellar medium in the interior of the galaxy. An implication of this longevity is that the great masses of these clouds may be accumulated through cloud-cloud collisions of originally smaller clouds.
| Item Type: | Book Section | ||||||
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| Additional Information: | © 1979 by the IAU. This is contribution number 279 of the Five College Observatories. This research is supported by National Science Foundation grant AST76-24610. | ||||||
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| Series Name: | IAU Symposium Proceedings Series | ||||||
| Issue or Number: | 84 | ||||||
| Record Number: | CaltechAUTHORS:20181116-095208580 | ||||||
| Persistent URL: | https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20181116-095208580 | ||||||
| Official Citation: | Scoville, N., Solomon, P., & Sanders, D. (1979). CO observations of spiral structure and the lifetime of giant molecular clouds. Symposium - International Astronomical Union, 84, 277-283. doi:10.1017/S0074180900014625 | ||||||
| Usage Policy: | No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided. | ||||||
| ID Code: | 90955 | ||||||
| Collection: | CaltechAUTHORS | ||||||
| Deposited By: | Tony Diaz | ||||||
| Deposited On: | 16 Nov 2018 19:49 | ||||||
| Last Modified: | 03 Oct 2019 20:30 |
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