Blowups from the NIR-derived column density map of the Musca cloud (Fig. 2). The contours start at N_H = 1.5 × 10²¹ cm^-2 and the step is 1.5 × 10²¹ cm^-2. The lowest contour is drawn with a dotted line. The dashed lines in the Center region indicate the 1.6 pc velocity-coherent filament whose radial structure is modeled in Sect. 3.2. The numbered signs refer to the fragments identified within the cloud (see Sect. 3.1).