The interstellar medium of our Galaxy

Abstract

Over the past century our picture of diffuse material in space has grown from a simple model of isolated clouds in thermal equilibrium with stellar radiation fields to one of a richly varied composite of materials with a wide range of physical properties and morphologies. The Solar System interacts with a dynamical interstellar medium. Optical, radio, and UV astronomy allow us to study the clouds which form the galactic environment of the Sun. The composition and distribution of interstellar clouds in the disk and halo tell us about the history of elemental formation in our galaxy, and the past and future environment of the Solar System.