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.
2020 July 3
Lynds Dark Nebula 1251
Image Credit & Copyright: Ara Jerahian
Explanation: Stars are forming in Lynds Dark Nebula (LDN) 1251. About
1,000 light-years away and drifting above the plane of our Milky Way
galaxy, the dusty molecular cloud is part of a complex of dark nebulae
mapped toward the Cepheus flare region. Across the spectrum,
astronomical explorations of the obscuring interstellar clouds reveal
energetic shocks and outflows associated with newborn stars, including
the telltale reddish glow from scattered Herbig-Haro objects seen in
this sharp image. Distant background galaxies also lurk on the scene,
buried behind the dusty expanse. This alluring view imaged with a
backyard telescope and broadband filters spans about two full moons on
the sky, or 17 light-years at the estimated distance of LDN 1251.
Tomorrow's picture: transient luminous events
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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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* Origin: The Rusty MailBox - Penticton, BC Canada (1:153/757)
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