MOLECULAR CLOUDLETS EMBEDDED IN A DIFFUSE H-I CLOUD WITHIN 120 PARSECS OF THE SUN

Two molecular cloudlets have been detected and mapped in a partial sur vey of (CO)-C-12 emission in a diffuse H I cloud toward Perseus. Previ ous observations of K I absorption and 21 cm emission had shown that t he cloud is within 120 pc of the Sun, with a diameter of 14 pc, a tota l mass similar to 1500 M(.), and temperatures as low as 30 K, making i t a good candidate to contain molecular gas. The two cloudlets embedde d in the H I cloud have diameters similar to 1 pc, molecular densities similar to 100 cm(-3), and molecular masses of only 1 M(.), and lie i n front of the two stars with the strongest detected K I absorption. T he derived total hydrogen column density is similar to 1 x 10(21) cm(- 2). The molecular cores detected are not virialized but confined by th e turbulent pressure of the interstellar medium. No (CO)-C-12 was dete cted along the lines of sight to eight stars showing K I absorption, o r in the direction of the biggest concentration of H I.