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Mebold, U.

Publications and source records attributed to Mebold, U..

A composite large-scale CO survey at high galactic latitudes in the second quadrant

Surveys undertaken in the 2nd quadrant of the Galaxy with the CfA 1.2 m telescope have been combined to produce a map covering about 620 sq deg in the 2.6 mm CO(J = 1 - 0) line at high galactic latitudes. There is CO emission from molecular 'cirrus' clouds in about 13 percent of the region surveyed. The CO clouds are grouped together into three major cloud complexes with 29 individual members. All clouds are associated with infrared emission at 100 micron, although there is no one-to-one correlation between the corresponding intensities. CO emission is detected in all bright and dark Lynds' nebulae cataloged in that region; however not all CO clouds are visible on optical photographs as reflection or absorption features. The clouds are probably local. At an adopted distance of 240 pc cloud sizes range from O.1 to 30 pc and cloud masses from 1 to 1600 solar masses. The molecular cirrus clouds contribute between 0.4 and 0.8 M solar mass/sq pc to the surface density of molecular gas in the galactic plane. Only 26 percent of the 'infrared-excess clouds' in the area surveyed actually show CO and about 2/3 of the clouds detected in CO do not show an infrared excess.

Heithausen, A.↗

ROSAT detection of an X-ray shadow in the 1/4-keV diffuse background in the Draco nebula

The detection by the Roentgen satellite (ROSAT) X-ray telescope of a shadow in the 1/4-keV (C-band, 0.1 to 0.284 keV) cosmic diffuse background is reported. The location and morphology of the local minimum in X-rays are in clear agreement with a discrete H I cloud. The shadow is very deep with a minimum level at 50 percent of the surrounding emission; therefore, a minimum of 50 percent of the observed off-cloud flux must originate on the far side of the cloud. The analysis of H I velocity components links the cloud with the Draco nebula (distance of about 600 parsecs); it then follows that there is significant 1/4-keV X-ray emission at large distance (more than 400 parsecs) from the galactic plane along this line of sight. The extent of the distant emission region is uncertain, and if it indicates the existence of a hot galactic corona, it must be patchy in nature.

Snowden, S. L.↗

A survey of formaldehyde in high Galactic latitudes

The discovery of formaldehyde (H2CO) in four out of 15 CO-clouds observed in high Galactic latitudes is reported. For one of these a velocity-integrated formaldehyde map is presented. The clouds are clearly connected to CO clouds described by de Vries et al. (1986), to Lynds bright and dark nebulae (Lynds, 1963), and to the Galactic infrared cirrus (Low et al., 1984). The distribution of CO and H2CO clouds is compared. The depths of the l(10-11)H2CO lines show no correlation to the integrated J = l-0(C-12)O line intensities.

Heithausen, A.↗

A Neutral Gas Jet in a Low Velocity Shock Front at the Boundary of the Draco Nebula

Twenty-one cm line observations with the Westerbork Synthesis Radio Telescope of a dust and molecular filament at the boundary of the Draco Nebula reveal a jet like neutral hydrogen feature funneling through an outlet in the low velocity shock front at the interface between the Draco Nebula and the surrounding gas. The jet like feature is apparently connected with a high velocity filament at VLSR = -180 km/sec. It is suggested that soft X-ray emission observed in the area is thermal bremsstrahlung produced by the deceleration of high velocity gas in galactic gas.

Kalberla, P. W. M.↗

The Draco Nebula, a Molecular Cloud Associated with a High Velocity Cloud?

Extended and very faint bright nebulae are found in high galactic latitudes at the Palomar Observatory Sky Survey. Such a nebula, located in the constellation Draco and called Draco Nebula or Dracula, was found to be in detailed positional coincidence with a 21 cm emission line feature. Estimates of the minimum visual extinction from star counts ON and OFF Dracula and an estimated visual surface brightness indicate that Dracula fits the relation SBV = 24.2 - 2.5 log AV for dust clouds located above the galactic plane and reflecting the integrated starlight of the galactic disk. Hence Dracula is probably a reflection nebula. Indicators of molecular hydrogen in Dracula, molecules such as CO, were searched for by using a 2.5-m mm-telescope. Molecular hydrogen column densities were estimated. The dynamics of CO clumps was studied. Dracula has a close positional and possibly even astrophysical relationship to the high velocity cloud phenomenon.

Mebold, U.↗