![cover image](https://wikiwandv2-19431.kxcdn.com/_next/image?url=https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/78/Dark_Rift_2012.jpg/640px-Dark_Rift_2012.jpg&w=640&q=50)
Serpens–Aquila Rift
Sky region containing dark interstellar clouds / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Serpens–Aquila Rift?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
The Serpens–Aquila Rift (also known as the Aquila Rift) is a region of the sky in the constellations Aquila, Serpens Cauda, and eastern Ophiuchus containing dark interstellar clouds. The region forms part of the Great Rift, the nearby dark cloud of cosmic dust that obscures the middle of the galactic plane of the Milky Way, looking inwards and towards its other radial sectors. The clouds that form this structure are called "molecular clouds", constituting a phase of the interstellar medium which is cold and dense enough for molecules to form, particularly molecular hydrogen (H2). These clouds are opaque to light in the optical part of the spectrum due to the presence of interstellar dust grains mixed with the gaseous component of the clouds. Therefore, the clouds in the Serpens-Aquila Rift block light from background stars in the disk of the Galaxy, forming the dark rift. The complex is located in a direction towards the inner Galaxy, where molecular clouds are common, so it is possible that not all components of the rift are at the same distance and physically associated with each other.[6]
Dark nebula | |
---|---|
![]() In this image of the Milky Way, the Aquila Rift is the dark patch right of center. It is part of the Great Rift which can be seen bisecting the swath of star light seen in the galactic plane. | |
Observation data: J2000.0 epoch | |
Right ascension | 19h 07m |
Declination | +01° 00′ |
Distance | 750–1650 ly (225–500[1][2][3][4] pc) |
Apparent dimensions (V) | 20 × 10°[5] |
Constellation | Aquila, Serpens, Ophiuchus |
Notable features | – |
Designations | Aquila Rift |
See also: Lists of nebulae |
Several star-forming regions are projected in (or near) the direction of the Serpens-Aquila Rift, including Westerhout 40 (W40),[4][7] Serpens Cluster,[8][9] Serpens South,[10] Serpens NH3,[11][12] and MWC297/Sh2-62.[12][13]