Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2019 October 24

                          Dark Seahorse in Cepheus
                  Image Credit & Copyright: Sergio Kaminsky

   Explanation: Light-years across, this suggestive shape known as the
   Seahorse Nebula appears in silhouette against a rich, luminous
   background of stars. Seen toward the royal northern constellation of
   Cepheus, the dusty, obscuring clouds are part of a Milky Way molecular
   cloud some 1,200 light-years distant. It is also listed as Barnard 150
   (B150), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th
   century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Packs of low mass stars are
   forming within from collapsing cores only visible at long infrared
   wavelengths. Still, colorful stars in Cepheus add to the pretty,
   galactic skyscape.

                  Tomorrow's picture: ghosts in Cassiopeia
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