Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex
Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex from NASA's Wide-field Infrared Explorer. The Rho Ophiuchi cloud is found rising above the plane of the Milky Way, bordering the constellations Ophiuchus and Scorpius. The bright white nebula in the center of the image is glowing due to heating from nearby stars, resulting in what is called an emission nebula. The same is true for most of the multi-hued gas prevalent throughout the entire image, including the bluish, bow-shaped feature near the bottom right. The bright red area in the bottom right is light from the star in the center - Sigma Scorpii - that is reflected off of the dust surrounding it, creating what is called a reflection nebula. And the much darker areas scattered throughout the image are pockets of cool, dense gas that block out the background light, resulting in absorption nebulae. The bright pink objects just left of center are young stellar objects (YSOs). We can also see some of the oldest stars in our Milky Way galaxy, found in two separate globular clusters. The first cluster, M80, is on the far right edge and the second, NGC 6144, is close to the bottom edge near the center.
Size: 3300px × 3236px
Photo credit: © Photo Researchers / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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