What is the typical temperature range characterizing the interiors of dense molecular clouds?
Answer
10 to 20 Kelvin
Molecular clouds exist in an extremely frigid state, possessing interiors typically measured between 10 and 20 Kelvin. This profound cold is not merely incidental; it is absolutely vital for the existence of molecular structures, as it allows atoms to bind together to form molecules, principally molecular hydrogen ($ ext{H}_2$). If the temperature were significantly higher, the thermal kinetic energy of the atoms would be too great, preventing them from bonding, and the cloud would remain primarily atomic gas rather than a molecular nursery.
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