Interstellar Matter
The interstellar medium—the space between the stars—consists of nearly empty space. It is the vacuum of the universe. It would be totally empty if not for a smattering of gas atoms and tiny solid particles—interstellar matter.
On average, the interstellar matter in our region of the galaxy consists of about one atom of gas per cubic centimeter and 25 to 50 microscopic solid particles per cubic kilometer. In contrast, the air at sea level on Earth contains about 1,019 molecules of gas per cubic centimeter.
In some regions of space, however, the concentration of interstellar matter is thousands of times greater than average. Where there is a large enough concentration of gas and...
[The entire page is 953 words long]
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