Science Source Stock Photo - Barnard 68, Bok Globule, Dark Cloud

Barnard 68, Bok Globule, Dark Cloud

Description: Photograph shows an unusual sky field in the Milky Way band. It is centered on one of the classical, dark globules, known as Barnard 68. It appears as a compact, opaque and rather sharply defined object against a rich, background star field. Even on this image that registers many faint stars in the area, not a single foreground star is observed. This is a clear sign that this globule must be relatively nearby. Interstellar clouds consist of gas and dust, including many molecules, some of which contain carbon atoms. For a long time considered to be "holes in the sky", molecular clouds are now known to be among the coolest objects in the Universe. Moreover, and most importantly, they are nurseries of stars and planets. It still remains a mystery how a dark cloud like Barnard 68 at some moment begins to contract and subsequently transforms itself into hydrogen-burning stars. This three-color composite was reproduced from one blue (B), one green-yellow (V) and one near-infrared (I) exposure that were obtained with VLT ANTU and FORS1 in the early morning of March 27, 1999.

Credit:

European Southern Observatory/Science Source

Unique identifier: SS2708774

Legacy Identifier: JC5807

Type: Image

Size: 4200px × 3150px (~37 MB)

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