Local Interstellar Cloud
The Local Interstellar Cloud (LIC), also known as the Local Fluff, is an interstellar cloud roughly 30 light-years (9.2 pc) across, through which the Solar System is moving. This feature overlaps with a region around the Sun referred to as the solar neighborhood. It is unknown whether the Sun is embedded in the Local Interstellar Cloud, or is in the region where the Local Interstellar Cloud is interacting with the neighboring G-Cloud. Like the G-Cloud and others, the LIC is part of the Very Local Interstellar Medium which begins where the heliosphere and interplanetary medium end, the furthest that probes have traveled.
| Interstellar cloud | |
|---|---|
| low density warm hydrogen | |
Diagram of the local clouds of matter that the Solar System is moving through, with arrows indicating cloud motion. | |
| Observation data | |
| Distance | 0 ly (0 pc) |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Dimensions | 30 ly (9.2 pc) |
| Designations | Local Cloud, LIC |
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