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| Aquila–Serpens complex | |
|---|---|
| Name | Aquila–Serpens complex |
| Type | Interstellar molecular cloud complex |
| Epoch | J2000 |
| Ra | 18h |
| Dec | +00° |
| Distance | ~200–800 pc |
| Constellations | Aquila, Serpens, Ophiuchus, Scutum |
Aquila–Serpens complex is an interstellar molecular cloud and star-forming region spanning portions of the constellations Aquila, Serpens, Ophiuchus and Scutum. The complex is associated with multiple dark nebulae, infrared sources and young stellar objects cataloged by surveys such as IRAS, 2MASS, and Spitzer Space Telescope. It forms part of a larger assembly of clouds tied to the Gould Belt and the Local Arm of the Milky Way.
The Aquila–Serpens region is defined observationally by concentrations of molecular gas, dust extinction, and compact radio and infrared sources identified by projects like COBE, WMAP, Planck and the James Webb Space Telescope. Astronomers classify substructures using catalogues from the European Space Agency missions and ground-based facilities such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array and the Very Large Array. Historical nomenclature draws on work by Edward Emerson Barnard, Heinrich Louis d'Arrest and later surveys by Cecilia Payne-Gaposchkin and Fritz Zwicky-era compilations.
The complex includes named dark nebulae like Barnard 335, Barnard 335-adjacent cores, and emission nebulosities catalogued by Sharpless alongside molecular clumps mapped in CO by the CfA 1.2 m Millimeter-Wave Telescope team. Embedded objects include Herbig–Haro objects catalogued by George Herbig and G.H. Herbig-era follow-ups, protostellar candidates flagged by IRAS and AKARI sensors, and maser sources observed by teams from Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. Nearby named regions that intersect are referenced in works by John Herschel, William Herschel, F. W. Herschel-era charts, and modern compilations by the International Astronomical Union.
Star formation in the complex proceeds in cold molecular cores traced by CO, NH3 and H2O maser emission measured by Nobeyama Radio Observatory and the Effelsberg 100-m Radio Telescope. Researchers from Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics and the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy model collapse using data from ALMA and the Submillimeter Array, comparing to theoretical frameworks by Shu and simulations by Matsumoto, Tomisaka groups. Feedback processes are studied drawing on analogues in regions surveyed by Spitzer Space Telescope, Hubble Space Telescope, and Chandra X-ray Observatory teams, while chemical inventories reference work by E. Herbst and T. J. Millar.
Early optical identifications trace to catalogs by Edward Emerson Barnard and charts used by John Flamsteed and Charles Messier for starfield mapping. Infrared and radio follow-ups were carried out by consortia including IRAS, 2MASS, WISE, Spitzer Space Telescope and the Herschel Space Observatory. Millimeter and submillimeter line surveys are from groups at Harvard–Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics, Instituto de Radioastronomía Milimétrica, and the Leiden Observatory. Recent high-resolution imaging campaigns have been conducted by ALMA, VLA, SMA, and instrument teams from European Southern Observatory and National Astronomical Observatory of Japan.
Mass estimates derive from CO-to-H2 conversion factors adopted by teams at CfA and the Max Planck Institute for Radio Astronomy, with values compared against dust emission measured by Planck and extinction maps from 2MASS analyses performed by researchers at University of Massachusetts Amherst and University of Colorado Boulder. Distance determinations leverage parallax measurements from the Gaia mission supplemented by maser parallaxes from VLBI networks including VERA and EVN. Published distances vary across studies by ESA and JAXA institutions, spanning roughly 200–800 parsecs in different subregions, paralleling debates in literature from groups at Princeton University, University of Chicago, and University of Cambridge.
The complex hosts young stellar objects and clusters cataloged in surveys led by L. Lada and E. A. Lada, with individual pre-main-sequence stars studied by teams affiliated with Caltech, MIT, and University of California, Berkeley. X-ray-emitting young stars were identified in observations by Chandra X-ray Observatory teams and compared to optical spectroscopy from Keck Observatory and Very Large Telescope programs. Cluster mass functions have been analyzed by researchers at University of Toronto, University of Bonn, and Max Planck Institute for Astrophysics using photometry from Pan-STARRS and Sloan Digital Sky Survey.
The complex sits adjacent to features studied in the contexts of the Gould Belt, Perseus Arm, and the Local Bubble; comparisons are made with regions like the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, Taurus Molecular Cloud, and Serpens Cloud Core. Galactic context discussions cite frameworks by Bok, Ambartsumian, and contemporary analyses from Binney & Merrifield-inspired research groups. Connections to large-scale surveys such as GLIMPSE and COBE inform models developed at institutions including Cambridge University, Harvard University, and University of Leiden.
Category:Interstellar clouds