Molecular clouds can be detected by radio observations of molecular hydrogen.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Molecular hydrogen cannot be directly detected by radio observations due to its lack of a permanent electric dipole moment. Instead, molecular clouds are detected by radio observations of other molecules, such as carbon monoxide (CO), which are typically found in abundance within these clouds. Molecular hydrogen (H2) cannot be easily detected with radio observations, so instead astronomers use radio observations of other molecules commonly found in molecular clouds, such as carbon monoxide (CO) or ammonia (NH3), as tracers to locate and study these clouds.

Molecular Clouds Can Be Detected by Radio Observations of Molecular