Gasmassen
Gasmassen is a term used in Nordic-language astronomy literature to denote the total mass of gas contained in a given object or region, such as a galaxy, a molecular cloud, or the intracluster medium. It is a key component of the baryonic mass budget and is distinct from the mass in stars or dark matter. In English-language practice, the quantity is usually called gas mass, and is commonly abbreviated M_gas. Gasmassen can be subdivided into atomic gas (M_HI) and molecular gas (M_H2), depending on the tracers employed.
Gas mass is inferred from spectral line observations and dust measurements. The 21-centimeter line of neutral
Typical gas masses in disc galaxies range from about 10^8 to a few times 10^10 solar masses,
See also: interstellar medium, molecular clouds, atomic hydrogen (HI), carbon monoxide (CO) as a tracer, gas-to-dust