Explanation:
Connecting the
Pipe Nebula to the bright star
Antares is a flowing dark cloud nicknamed the
Dark River.
The murkiness of the
Dark River is caused by
absorption of background starlight by
dust, although the nebula contains mostly
hydrogen and molecular gas.
Antares, the bright star that appears yellow
just below the center of the frame, is embedded in the
colorful Rho Ophiuchi nebula clouds.
The Dark River, pictured above across the upper left, spans over 20 times the angular diameter of the
Moon and lies about 500
light years distant.
Other types of
nebulas
visible here include red
emission nebula and the
blue reflection nebula.
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