Explanation: Where did all the stars go? What used to be considered a hole in the sky is now known to astronomers as a dark molecular cloud. Here, a high concentration of dust and molecular gas absorb practically all the visible light emitted from background stars. The eerily dark surroundings help make the interiors of molecular clouds some of the coldest and most isolated places in the universe. One of the most notable of these dark absorption nebulae is a cloud toward the constellation Ophiuchus known as Barnard 68, pictured above. That no stars are visible in the center indicates that Barnard 68 is relatively nearby, with measurements placing it about 500 light-years away and half a light-year across. It is not known exactly how molecular clouds like Barnard 68 form, but it is known that these clouds are themselves likely places for new stars to form.

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Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.

Publikacii s klyuchevymi slovami: nebula - dust - molecular cloud - Barnard 68 - Molekulyarnye oblaka - temnaya tumannost' Publikacii so slovami: nebula - dust - molecular cloud - Barnard 68 - Molekulyarnye oblaka - temnaya tumannost'
Sm. takzhe: Ruka pomoshi v Kassiopee LDN 43: tumannost' Kosmicheskaya Letuchaya Mysh' Sem' Sester v pyli Temnyi Morskoi konek v Cefee Temnaya bashnya v Skorpione IC 5146: tumannost' Kokon NGC 7023: tumannost' Iris Vse publikacii na tu zhe temu >>