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The interstellar medium (ISM) is the matter and radiation that exists in the space between the star systems in a galaxy. This matter includes gas in ionic, atomic, and molecular form, as well as dust and cosmic rays. It fills interstellar space and blends smoothly into the surrounding intergalactic space.
The density of matter in the interstellar medium can vary considerably: the average is around 10 6 particles per m 3, [136] but cold molecular clouds can hold 10 8 –10 12 per m 3. [39] [134] A number of molecules exist in interstellar space, which can form dust particles as tiny as 0.1 μm. [137]
The mantles of interstellar ice grains are generally amorphous, becoming crystalline only in the presence of a star. [3] The composition of interstellar ice can be determined through its infrared spectrum. As starlight passes through a molecular cloud containing ice, molecules in the cloud absorb energy. This adsorption occurs at the ...
When a dense cloud becomes cold enough and the gas pressure is ... or they may be ejected into interstellar space. ... reaching sizes of around 100 meters within a ...
[f] [154] [155] Filling the space between the stars is a disk of gas and dust called the interstellar medium. This disk has at least a comparable extent in radius to the stars, [156] whereas the thickness of the gas layer ranges from hundreds of light-years for the colder gas to thousands of light-years for warmer gas. [157] [158]
Christopher Nolan's sci-fi film, starring Matthew McConaughey, Jessica Chastain and Anne Hathaway, hit theaters 10 years ago
Driven by the jet stream, part of the polar vortex — a large area of cold air that spins over the North Pole in the winter — will drop about 3,000 miles south into the U.S., delivering the ...
The Local Leo Cold Cloud is a relatively nearby cloud of interstellar gas. It ranges from 11.3 to 24.3 parsecs in distance. The cloud's neutral gas temperature is around 20K, which is cold compared to the 1,000,000K temperature of the Local Bubble in which it is embedded.