Low mass clouds in the Cepheus-Cassiopeia void I. Khavtassi 15

We present the results of optical, far-infrared and radio observations of t he small, non-star forming dark cloud Khavtassi 15, located in the Upper Ce pheus-Cassiopeia region. We derive an average extinction of A(V) = 1.(m)6 a nd a distance of 250 +/- 25 pc from Digitized Sky Survey data and star coun ts using objective prism spectroscopy. A fully computerized algorithm was u sed for non-biased analysis of starcount data. A kinetic temperature of 7 K and a peak number density of n(H-2) = 5.9 x 10(3) cm(-3) were estimated fr om multiisotopic, multilevel CO measurements. CO measurements also revealed three main condensations inside the cloud. Kh 15 has a total gas mass of 3 4 M. and it is most probably part of a shell seen as a FIR loop called GIRL 126+10. We investigated the correlation among optical extinction, radio and FIR emission and masses derived for the dust and gas inside the cloud core . Stability analysis has shown, that Kh 15 is not far from gravitational vi rial equilibrium, and may be fully stabilized by the external pressure. In addition to Kh 15, the starcounts also indicate the presence of an extended nearby extinction layer at d less than or equal to 150 pc which we conside r as the wall of the Local Bubble (LB) towards the Upper Cepheus-Cassiopeia . Distances of the dark clouds LDN 1308, LDN 1333 and Khavtassi 19 are also estimated.