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Credit & Copyright: Markus Noller
(Deep-Sky-Images)
Explanation:
Why is the sky near
Antares and Rho Ophiuchi so colorful?
The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes.
Fine dust illuminated from the front by starlight produces blue
reflection nebulae.
Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by
ultraviolet starlight produce
reddish emission nebulae.
Backlit dust clouds block starlight and so
appear dark.
Antares,
a red supergiant and one of the brighter stars in the night sky,
lights up the yellow-red clouds on the lower center of the
featured image.
Rho Ophiuchi
lies at the center of the blue nebula on the left.
The distant globular cluster
M4 is visible to the upper right of
center.
These star clouds are even more
colorful than humans can see,
emitting light across the electromagnetic spectrum.
Astrophysicists:
Browse 1,000+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code Library
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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: Antares - nebula
Publications with words: Antares - nebula
See also:
- APOD: 2025 March 18 Á LDN 1235: The Shark Nebula
- APOD: 2024 June 11 Á Colorful Stars and Clouds near Rho Ophiuchi
- APOD: 2024 January 23 Á Deep Nebulas: From Seagull to California
- APOD: 2023 June 14 Á The Shark Nebula
- NGC 7380: The Wizard Nebula
- A Galaxy Beyond Stars, Gas, Dust
- Stars, Dust, and Gas Near Antares