Bibcode
DOI
Genova, Ricardo; Beckman, J. E.; Bowyer, Stuart; Spicer, Thomas
Bibliographical reference
Astrophysical Journal v.484, p.761
Advertised on:
7
1997
Citations
22
Refereed citations
22
Description
A survey of interstellar Na I D1 and D2 absorption features found in the
spectra of 31 early-type stars in the first and fourth Galactic
quadrants reveals a new picture of the large-scale kinematics of
interstellar gas in the vicinity of the Sun. While absorption features
found in the spectra of stars in the fourth Galactic quadrant show the
gas expanding from stars in the Scorpio-Centaurus OB association, stars
in the first Galactic quadrant, in the range of distances covered by
this survey (74--312 pc from the Sun), show interstellar gas falling
toward the Galactic plane with a bulk motion whose component parallel to
that plane is directed toward the Scorpio-Centaurus association. This
picture differs completely from generally accepted models in which the
nearby interstellar gas flows away from the Scorpio-Centaurus
association toward the Galactic anticenter. Evidence for the presence of
an expanding shell-like feature that is reaching the solar system is
presented.