1994A&A...290..235O

Two prominent nuclei of a large, comet-like (10 pc in length) dust and gas complex, located in the Lacerta Constellation (l∼96deg, b~-15deg), have been observed in molecular lines of CO, NH₃ and H₂CO. We will refer to the whole system as the LBN 437 complex. It lies at the edge of the youngest subgroup of the Lac OB1 association and is associated with this young group of stars. The cometary head, condensation A, contains reflection nebulae and a group of faint LkHα stars, among them LkHα 233. H₂CO(1₁₁-1₁₀) ¹³CO(1-0) and (2-1) line maps show an elongated configuration of size ∼2x0.5pc and a mass of 150-300M_☉xNH₃(1,1) and (2,2) inversion line observations of Condensation A reveal the existence of a cold (10K) and dense (3x10⁴cm^–3) core of elliptical shape. The mass and linear dimensions of this NH₃ clump are 15M_☉, ∼0.16pc (semi-major axis) and ∼0.10pc (semi-minor axis). From IRAS 60-100µm images and ¹²CO(1-0) line data, we infer dust and gas temperatures of ∼37K for the surrounding low-column density, far-IR emitting material. It is concluded that Condensation A consists of a cold dense core, from which newly formed Hα emission line stars have formed. This is surrounded by a lower density envelope whose warm surface is heated externally by a nearby B star (HD 213976). Condensation B, lying near the end of the cometary "tail", was mapped in H₂CO absorption, although NH₃ emission lines were not detected.