Astronomy Picture Of The Day Explore the cosmos Every day, a new image or photograph of the fascinating universe is presented along with a short explanation by an astronomer. 2021 November 5
Cepheus' Dark Seahorse
Image Credit & Copyright: Valerio Avitabile
Explanation: This suggestive shape, known as the Seahorse Nebula, is light-years across and appears in silhouette against a background of bright stars. The dusty, obscured clouds can be seen towards the northern constellation of Cepheus. They are part of a Milky Way molecular Cloud that is 1,200 light years distant. It is also known as Barnard 150 (B150), which is one of 182 dark marks of the sky that E. E. Barnard cataloged in early 20th-century astronomer. Although low-mass stars are currently forming within the sky, their collapsing centers are only visible at long wavelengths infrared. Cepheus' colorful stars add beauty to the galactic skyscape.
