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Published online by Cambridge University Press: 14 August 2015
The apparent shapes and orientations of optical nebulae in the Cygnus X complex provide possible evidence for the existence of a symmetry in the local spiral arm which may be related to the structure of the local magnetic field within the spiral arm. We have made a preliminary determination of the distances to about 90 nebulae in the Cygnus X complex by use of the values of interstellar absorption as a function of galactic coordinates. These values of absorption were determined from a comparison of optical and radio data for the nebulae. The more prominent nebulae are clumped at a distance of about 1.5 kpc. The total range in distances is from 1 kpc to at least 4 kpc. We have attempted to fit model spiral arms to this three-dimensional distribution of nebulae by approximating the spiral arm with a truncated cylinder. It has been possible to narrow the range of permissible orientations and sizes etc. for this local section of the Orion arm.