A Ghost in Cepheus
Described
as a "dusty curtain" or "ghostly apparition," mysterious reflection
nebula VdB 152 really is very faint. Far from your neighborhood on this
Halloween Night, the cosmic phantom is nearly 1,400 light-years away.
Also catalogued as Ced 201, it lies along the northern Milky Way in the
royal constellation Cepheus.
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Near the edge of a large molecular cloud,
pockets of interstellar dust in the region block light from background
stars or scatter light from the embedded bright star giving parts of the
nebula a characteristic blue color.
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Ultraviolet light from the star is
also thought to cause a dim reddish luminescence in the nebular dust.
Though stars do form in molecular clouds, this star seems to have only
accidentally wandered into the area, as its measured velocity through
space is very different from the cloud's velocity. This deep telescopic
image of the region spans about 7 light-years.
Image Credit: NASA/Stephen Leshin
1 comment:
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