Infrared dark cloud

Composite image showing young stars in and around molecular cloud Cepheus B.
Infrared
Star formation

An infrared dark cloud (IRDC) is a cold, dense region of a giant molecular cloud. They can be seen in silhouette against the bright diffuse mid-infrared emission from the galactic plane.[1][2]

Discovery

Infrared dark clouds have only been recently discovered in 1996 using the ISO [3] and therefore are in need of further research.[4]

Importance

Astronomers believe that they represent the earliest stage in the formation of high-mass stars [5] and are therefore of great importance for understanding the star formation process as a whole.[6]

Statistics and Mass

[7]

See also

References

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