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Credit & Copyright: Alain Maury,
Jean-Marc Mari
Explanation:
Now posing against our galaxy's rich starfields and nebulae, brilliant
planet Jupiter
shines in the night sky.
Its almost overwhelming glow is near the top of the frame
in this colorful telephoto portrait of the central Milky Way.
Spanning about 20 degrees on the sky, the scene includes the
silhouette of LDN 1773 against the starlight, also know by the
popular moniker the
Pipe Nebula for its apparent outline of
stem and bowl.
The Pipe Nebula is part of the galaxy's Ophiuchus dark cloud complex.
Located at a distance of about 450 light-years,
dense cores of gas and dust within are collapsing to form stars.
Approaching its opposition, opposite the Sun in the sky
on June 12,
Jupiter is only about 36 light-minutes from planet Earth.
Fans of dark markings on the sky can probably spot the
Snake Nebula
below and left of Jupiter's glare.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
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: Jupiter - dark nebula - Pipe Nebula
Publications with words: Jupiter - dark nebula - Pipe Nebula
See also: