Rho Ophiuchi: A Colorful Cosmic Cloud in Photos

[Judi Lynn]

By Hanneke Weitering, Staff Writer-Producer | July 9, 2017 07:30am ET


- click for image -

https://img.purch.com/h/1400/aHR0cDovL3d3dy5zcGFjZS5jb20vaW1hZ2VzL2kvMDAwLzA2Ny81NTQvb3JpZ2luYWwva2VsbGVyLXJoby1vcGhpdWNoaS5qcGc=


The Rho Ophiuchi nebular complex is a beautiful, gigantic cloud of colorful cosmic dust and gas located 460 light-years from Earth in the constellation Ophiuchus. It's one of the closest stellar nurseries to the solar system and one of the most-photographed objects in the night sky. Astrophotographers Warren Keller, Jim Misti and Steve Mazlin teamed up to create this stunning 4-panel mosaic of the nebula, "I think its dusky and mysterious aura as compared to the generally brighter, super-saturated ones, is what's alluring," Keller told Space.com.

Images:
https://www.space.com/37418-rho-ophiuchi-nebula-photos.html?utm_source=notification

[WhiteTara]

1. So beautiful! Thanks

[LudwigPastorius]

2. My God,...

it's full of gas.

[sakabatou]

3. Wow...

[NJCher]

4. in one there is a giant alien face

anybody else see it? I found it toward the end.


Cher

[Judi Lynn]

5. Now I see it! Wouldn't want to cross that big guy, either. Just left of center, upper 1/4th.

Looks as if he's just been there, watching, right?

There is also a yellowish mass, peering out from under the darker bank, also to the left of center, which could be seen as a face, with the eyes slightly obscured under the top mass, as if he's wearing it as a giant hat.

Yikes!