Explanation:
Hurtling through a cosmic dust cloud some 400 light-years away,
the lovely Pleiades or
Seven Sisters
star cluster is well-known for its striking blue
reflection nebulae.
In the dusty sky toward the constellation Taurus and the
Orion Arm
of our Milky Way Galaxy, this
remarkable image shows the famous
star cluster at the upper left.
But lesser known dusty nebulae lie along the region's fertile
molecular cloud,
within the 10 degree wide field,
including the bird-like visage of
LBN 777
near center.
Small bluish reflection nebula VdB 27 at the lower right is
associated with the young, variable star
RY Tau.
At the distance of the Pleiades,
the 5 panel mosaic
spans nearly 70 light-years.
Today's APOD retrospective
Poll:
Which of last week's APOD should be the APOW?
