Head in the Clouds
Anna Abel, Samantha Schmidt, Ciera Slater, Andie Vamvakas
- Giant Molecular Clouds consists of huge amounts of hydrogen.
- GMC's span several light-years across.
- Once in our atmosphere, the hydrogen would consume the oxygen atoms.
- Lots of rain.
- Oxygen levels would drop, making it hard to breathe.
- Planet sized ice and stone will be flying around, some could explode.
- Can cause Meteors, Ice Ages, Nuclear Winters, oxygen shortages, floods, and volcanoes all at once.
- Closest GMC is about 1,566 light-years away.
- In a few millennia our solar system may plow into a cloud of gas and dust.
- This interstellar fog could reduce the sun’s light.
- Dust and gas will penetrate as far as Earth’s orbit and may begin eating away at the oxygen in our atmosphere.
The Electromagnetic Spectrum: looking through galactic space clouds
Giant Molecular Clouds
Giant molecular clouds of the Milky Way
California Nebula
This newly found cloud is 1,470 light-years from Earth. Slightly farther than the Orion A Molecular Cloud, home of the Orion Nebula, around 1,350 light-years from us.
Eagle Nebula
The Eagle Nebula is part of a molecular cloud with a diameter of about 20 light years.