Abstract
The precise physical state and spatial distribution of interstellar matter within ≃100 pc of the Sun has been the subject of intense speculation because of the implications its knowledge would have on interstellar medium theory1,2, soft X-ray and EUV transparency3,4 and, possibly, for very nearby objects, on solar and terrestrial evolution5,6. The general consensus holds that the local interstellar medium out to ≃100 pc from the Sun is exceptionally clear of any condensation of density ≥0.1 cm−3. Presumably, this is due to the effect of a supernova or stellar wind blast wave sweeping through the local interstellar medium in the relatively recent past7,8. I point out here that a surprising number of independent lines of observational evidence unambiguously imply the existence of a large, moderately dense (nH≥1 cm−3), cool (T≃70 K) cloud of interstellar gas lying between the Sun and α Oph, an A5V star located 16.7±0.8 pc away9 in the direction l = 32°, b = 23°.
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Paresce, F. Structure of the local interstellar medium and the line of sight to α Oph. Nature 302, 806–808 (1983). https://doi.org/10.1038/302806a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/302806a0
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