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Credit & Copyright: Christian Bertincourt;
Text:
Keighley Rockcliffe
(NASA
GSFC,
UMBC
CSST,
CRESST II)
Explanation:
"A ghost in the Milky WayÁÁ says Christian Bertincourt,
the astrophotographer behind
this striking image of Barnard 93 (B93).
The 93rd entry in
BarnardÁs Catalogue of Dark Nebulae, B93 lies within the
Small Sagittarius Star Cloud
(Messier 24),
where its darkness stands in
stark contrast
to bright stars and gas in the background.
In some ways, B93 is really like a
ghost,
because it contains gas and dust that was dispersed by
the deaths of stars, like
supernovas.
B93 appears as a dark void not because it is empty, but because its
dust blocks the light
emitted by more distant stars and glowing gas.
Like other dark nebulas, some gas from
B93,
if dense and
massive enough, will eventually
gravitationally condense to form new stars.
If so, then
once these stars ignite,
B93 will transform from a dark ghost into a brilliant
cradle of newborn stars.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: dust - star formation - nebula
Publications with words: dust - star formation - nebula
See also: