#barnard 68

[spaceexp]

Barnard 68 is a molecular cloud, dark absorption nebula or Bok globule, towards the southern constellation Ophiuchus and well within the Milky Way galaxy at a distance of about 125 parsecs (407 light-years).

It is so dark no light can pierce through it, leaving the stars and galaxies behind it invisible from our view.

[zespaceblog]

A Hole in Space?

Not all Nebula are spectacularly colourful swirls of gas and dust, the nebula has to be either reflecting light from a nearby star or cluster of stars, or emit (emission nebula) light when bombarded by ultra violet light from a nearby star.

For those bodies of gas and dust with no such nearby star, they are classified as dark nebula, although they are made up of the same material as the others, they obscure the stars set behind them, leaving what appears to be a hole in space.

Barnard 68 above is actually only 500 light years from Earth in the constellation of Ophiuchus, the stars behind are between 10-30,000 light years away and are part of the Milky Way galaxy.

Close observations in Infra red have detected around 3,700 milky way stars behind it, and what is thought to be an area in gravitational collapse which some studies suggest could become a new star in around 200,000 years from now.

[androgynousbirdtale]

Barnard 68: Dark Molecular Cloud

Where did all the stars go? What used to be considered a hole in the sky is now known to astronomers as a dark molecular cloud. Here, a high concentration of dust and molecular gas absorb practically all the visible light emitted from background stars. The eerily dark surroundings help make the interiors of molecular clouds some of the coldest and most isolated places in the universe. One of the most notable of these dark absorption nebulae is a cloud toward the constellation Ophiuchus known as Barnard 68, pictured here. That no stars are visible in the center indicates that Barnard 68 is relatively nearby, with measurements placing it about 500 light-years away and half a light-year across. It is not known exactly how molecular clouds like Barnard 68 form, but it is known that these clouds are themselves likely places for new stars to form. In fact, Barnard 68 itself has been found likely to collapse and form a new star system. It is possible to look right through the cloud in infrared light.

Image Copyright: Image Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT Antu, ESO

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Lovely kitten!

[chibinotan]

Black Cloud

[therealuniverse]

What appears to be a hole in the sky is actually Barnard 68, a molecular cloud that lies about 500 light-years away in the constellation of Ophiuchus, the Serpent-holder. This dark "Bok globule" is composed of dense clouds of dust and gas that appear opaque in the visible light spectrum. Using near-infrared imaging, astronomers at the ESO Very Large Telescope (VLT) have discovered about 3,700 stars concealed behind the half a light year that B68 spans. About 1,000 of these are visible on the infrared spectrum.

Barnard 68's opacity means that its interior is a very cold place--about −257 °C. Studying these dark clouds can give us insight as to how our own Solar Sytsem formed. Though the physical processes are debated and not well understood, it is widely hypothesized that star formation occurs in molecular clouds due to their low temperatures and high densities. If the outside gravitational force exceeds the pressure exerted from within the cloud for long enough, the cloud will collapse. Gravity will heat the material as it collapses inward, causing it to reach a temperature and density suitable to sustain fusion.

Observation of Barnard 68 has revealed that, once every 250,000 years or so, it oscillates or "jiggles" in a way similar to that of a soap bubble, indicating that the balance between the opposing forces may be tipping. The frigid darkness of B68 may be the future birthplace of new light and warmth. -RLO Sources: http://www.eso.org/public/news/eso9934/ http://eso.org/public/news/eso0102/ Image credit: FORS Team , 8.2-meter VLT Antu , ESO

[alxndrasplace]

(NASA)  Dark Molecular Cloud Barnard 68 

Image Credit: FORS Team, 8.2-meter VLT Antu, ESO

Where did all the stars go? What used to be considered a hole in the sky is now known to astronomers as a dark molecular cloud. Here, a high concentration of dust and molecular gas absorb practically all the visible light emitted from background stars. The eerily dark surroundings help make the interiors of molecular clouds some of the coldest and most isolated places in the universe. One of the most notable of these dark absorption nebulae is a cloud toward the constellation Ophiuchus known as Barnard 68, pictured here. That no stars are visible in the center indicates that Barnard 68 is relatively nearby, with measurements placing it about 500 light-years away and half a light-year across. It is not known exactly how molecular clouds like Barnard 68 form, but it is known that these clouds are themselves likely places for new stars to form. In fact, Barnard 68 itself has been found likely to collapse and form a new star system. It is possible to look right through the cloud in infrared light.

Source

[fresherbrine]

Dark Molecular Cloud Barnard 68