L 1274: A multiwavelength study of a dark cloud in the Cep -Cas void

We present a multiwavelength study of L 1274, a dark molecular cloud in the Cep -Cas void. From objective prism spectroscopy we derive a distance of $200\pm30$ pc to the cloud. CO maps reveal a slightly elongated molecular cloud with a diameter of about 2 pc. Maps in 12CO (1-0), 13CO (1-0) and 12CO (2-1) indicate two distinct features: a "main body" and an adjacent "ridge". The kinetic temperature of the CO gas is 10-12 K, calculated by a non -LTE method. The total gas mass of the main body is estimated from the CO data to be 25 -45 $M_\odot$. We find a large difference between CO -inferred gas mass and virial mass, a property usually attributed to HLCs. However, the derived mean density of H2 is at least an order of magnitude larger than typical for HLCs, i.e. similar to ordinary dark cloud cores. We discuss the validity of our mass estimates and the possibility of an external disturbance, e.g. a passage of a supernova induced shock-front.