Dark Nebula LDN 1622 and Barnard's Loop
Credit & Copyright: Leonardo Julio (Astronomia Pampeana)
Explanation: The silhouette of an intriguing
dark nebula inhabits this cosmic scene. Lynds' Dark Nebula (
LDN) 1622 appears below center against a faint background of glowing hydrogen gas only easily seen in long telescopic
exposures of the region. LDN 1622 lies near the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, close
on the sky to
Barnard's Loop - a large cloud surrounding the rich
complex of emission nebulae found in the Belt and Sword
of Orion. Arcs along a segment of Barnard's loop stretch across the top of the frame. But the obscuring dust of LDN 1622 is thought to be much closer than Orion's more famous nebulae, perhaps only 500 light-years away. At that distance, this 1 degree wide field of view would span less than 10 light-years.
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