No CrossRef data available.
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 25 May 2016
Interstellar dark clouds have provided a laboratory which has been successfully used to identify a number of species, perform high resolution spectroscopy, and characterize the processes in the interstellar medium. We have successfully solved a number of problems and achieved significant progress through dark cloud observations. With the improvement of observing techniques and theories, however, we are now having new problems and are waiting for further progress. The dark clouds, because of their quietness and large column densities, still provide a very useful testing ground of many uncertain interstellar processes. Here we summarize some of the recent progress made in dark cloud observations and discuss related problems. We focus especially on the importance of nearby objects, possible signs of gas-grain interactions in dark clouds, and further sensitive observations.