The Taurus Molecular Cloud is the closest big nursery of stars, a quiet complex of dark filaments in Taurus and Auriga where only small stars are forming.
At a glance
| type | nebula |
|---|---|
| distance from the Sun | 479 light-years (147 pc) |
| its light left it | 479 years ago |
| size in the piece | about 82 light-years acrossmodel |
Read off the piece’s own catalogue, the same values it draws with. Model marks a property of the piece’s galaxy model rather than a measurement.
About Taurus Molecular Cloud
Radio maps of carbon monoxide trace the gas of this complex in long, tangled filaments, the same lanes that show as dark streaks in photographs of the region. Dense cores along the filaments collapse one at a time, so young stars are spread thinly through the cloud instead of packed into a cluster.
With no massive stars to light or disperse it, the cloud keeps its youngest members wrapped in dust, discs and outflows. It is the home of T Tauri stars, named after the prototype found here, and a reference sample for how Sun-like stars and their planets begin. The piece also lists the Taurus Cloud as a separate entry for this nearby complex.
What you see in the piece
In visible light it is mostly a dimming of the stars; the infrared band shows its dust, and the young stars glow within it.
Questions
How far away is the Taurus Molecular Cloud?
The Taurus Molecular Cloud is about 479 light-years (147 pc) from the Sun.
What are T Tauri stars?
Very young Sun-like stars still contracting towards the main sequence, often surrounded by discs, named after T Tauri in this cloud.