The Milky Way

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James Jackson Dan Clemens Thomas Bania Mark Heyer Boston University FY 98: $100,000 FY 99: $100,000 FY 00: $100,000 The Milky Way's Molecular Ring: Contents, Structure, and Kinematics. Our Galaxy's molecular interstellar medium is dominated by an annulus of dense gas about midway between the Sun and the Galactic Center. This 5 kiloparsec ring also dominates the Milky Way star formation activity. Despite its obvious importance, the 5 kiloparsec ring has remained largely unexplored in recent years. Dr. James Jackson and colleagues at Boston University and the University of Massachusetts will conduct a new molecular line survey, known as the Galactic Ring Survey. The team will use the SEQUOIA multi-pixel array receiver on the Five Colleges Radio Astronomy Observatory 14-m telescope. Analysis of the data should greatly improve our understanding of the contents, structure, and kinematics of the 5 kiloparsec ring.