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| Lynds 1630 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Lynds 1630 |
| Type | Dark nebula |
| Epoch | J2000 |
| Constellation | Orion |
| Distance | ~1,300 ly |
| Other names | LDN 1630 |
Lynds 1630 Lynds 1630 is a dark molecular cloud complex in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex notable for dense dust lanes, active star formation, and embedded protostellar clusters. Located near the Orion Nebula and Horsehead Nebula region, it is a frequent target of radio, infrared, and submillimeter surveys by observatories such as Spitzer Space Telescope, Herschel Space Observatory, and the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array. Studies connect Lynds 1630 to large-scale processes in the Orion A and Orion B clouds and to feedback from nearby OB associations like the Orion OB1 association.
Lynds 1630 is cataloged as a high-opacity dark nebula in the Lynds Dark Nebula catalog compiled by Beverly T. Lynds and is often referenced in comparative studies with neighboring dark clouds including Lynds 1641 and Lynds 1622. It forms part of the molecular ridge that contains the Flame Nebula and the NGC 2024 complex, and it plays a role in empirical tests of star formation theories such as those advanced by Shu, Adams & Lizano and numerical models by groups at institutions like the Max Planck Institute for Astronomy and the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.
Situated in the northern portion of the Orion constellation, Lynds 1630 lies adjacent to bright emission and reflection nebulae cataloged by Messier and NGC, and it is projected near the line of sight to objects studied by Edwin Hubble and later mapped by surveys from Two Micron All Sky Survey and WISE. Distance estimates from parallax measurements using instruments on Gaia and maser kinematics associated with Very Long Baseline Array campaigns place it at roughly the same distance as Orion Nebula Cluster and Sigma Orionis. Observationally it exhibits strong extinction in optical images taken with the Hubble Space Telescope and pronounced emission in CO and tracers measured by James Clerk Maxwell Telescope and the IRAM 30m Telescope.
The cloud contains dense filaments, clumps, and cores mapped in molecular transitions like CO, 13CO, C18O, NH3 and detected in continuum at submillimeter wavelengths by SCUBA instruments. Its mass estimates derive from surveys by teams at the Institute for Radio Astronomy in the Millimeter Range and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory, and are compared against extinction maps from the Two Micron All Sky Survey and column density maps from Herschel Space Observatory studies led by researchers associated with Max Planck Society. Magnetic field morphology inferred from polarization data by the Planck collaboration and ground-based polarimeters links Lynds 1630 to theories proposed by E. R. Scalo and Ramesh Narayan. The cloud’s turbulent velocity dispersion and line widths are often discussed in the context of turbulence models by Christopher McKee and Eve Ostriker.
Embedded within Lynds 1630 are numerous Class 0, Class I, and Class II young stellar objects cataloged in surveys conducted by teams using Spitzer Space Telescope instruments at NASA and follow-up spectroscopy by groups at the European Southern Observatory and Keck Observatory. Protostellar outflows and Herbig–Haro objects associated with these young stars have been identified in narrowband imaging performed by observers from Carnegie Observatories and matched to molecular outflows traced by the Submillimeter Array. The initial mass function measured in Lynds 1630 is compared with results from the Pleiades and Taurus Molecular Cloud clusters in studies by astronomers from University of Cambridge and California Institute of Technology. Feedback from intermediate-mass stars in the cloud influences further collapse, a process incorporated in numerical work by teams at Princeton University and the University of California, Berkeley.
Lynds 1630 borders several well-known nebulae and star-forming sites, including the Horsehead Nebula (B33), the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024), and regions cataloged in the Sharpless catalog like Sh2-277. It lies within the broader Orion B molecular cloud complex and is influenced by ionizing radiation from members of the Orion OB1 association such as Theta1 Orionis C and the Trapezium cluster. Infrared reflection nebulae and photon-dominated regions adjacent to Lynds 1630 have been investigated by teams at Jet Propulsion Laboratory and the Harvard & Smithsonian using data from ISO (Infrared Space Observatory) and ground observatories including the United Kingdom Infrared Telescope.
Lynds 1630 entered the literature following its inclusion in the Lynds Dark Nebula catalog by Beverly T. Lynds and was later mapped in CO by surveys led by researchers at the Columbia University radio astronomy group and the Bell Laboratories radio astronomy program. Infrared studies by the Spitzer Space Telescope team (including investigators from NASA Ames Research Center and Jet Propulsion Laboratory) revealed embedded protostellar populations, while far-infrared mapping by the Herschel Space Observatory consortium (with contributions from CEA Saclay and Instituto de Astrofísica de Canarias) refined its column density structure. High-resolution interferometric imaging by ALMA teams and kinematic analyses by collaborations using the Very Large Array have constrained core collapse timescales discussed in theoretical work by Lee Hartmann and Philip C. Myers. Ongoing surveys by instruments at Subaru Telescope and follow-up spectroscopy at Gemini Observatory continue to update the census of young objects and chemical complexity, linking Lynds 1630 to astrochemical studies pursued by groups at Max Planck Institute for Extraterrestrial Physics and Princeton Plasma Physics Laboratory.
Category:Dark nebulae Category:Orion Molecular Cloud Complex