Loop I Bubble

The Loop I- super-bubble is a spherical area of about 400 to 500 light years across interstellar space, the center of which lies about 300 light-years from the Sun in the constellation Centaurus. The bladder is of a shell of neutral hydrogen (HI region ) limits, which was shaped by the situated in the center of hot OB stars of the Scorpius - Centaurus Association and is dispersed continued. The region inside the bubble is largely free of dust. A well-known star in this region is the red supergiant Antares.

The super-bubble extends in the night sky over an area of ​​almost 90 ° between the constellations Ophiuchus and keel of the ship, however, is up to some dark objects at the edge and located in the interior stellar associations can not be seen. The edge of Loop I contains dense molecular clouds, including dark clouds as the Coal Sack in the constellation of the Southern Cross and the Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud.

The Loop I- super-bubble adjacent to the Local Bubble, which is traversed from our solar system for several million years.

  • Interstellar matter
  • Milky Way
H I region Scorpius–Centaurus Association Cosmic dust Coalsack Nebula
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