Credit & Copyright: Lynn Hilborn
Explanation:
Stars are forming in Lynds Dark Nebula
(LDN) 1251.
About 1,000 light-years away, the dusty molecular cloud
is part of a complex of dark nebulae mapped toward the
Cepheus flare
region, drifting above the plane of our Milky Way galaxy.
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,
visually buried behind the dusty expanse.
The deep telescopic field of view spans about
two full moons on the sky, or 17 light-years at the
estimated distance of LDN 1251.
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NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
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& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: molecular cloud - star formation
Publications with words: molecular cloud - star formation
See also: