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                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                               2024 October 27
   A starfield is shown with a large brown dust nebula in the center. The
    nebula appears, to some, to be shaped like a bat. One of the stars in
    the dust nebula even appears to be the eye of the bat. Please see the
                 explanation for more detailed information.

                        LDN 43: The Cosmic Bat Nebula
   Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby; Text: Michelle Thaller
                                (NASA's GSFC)

   Explanation: What is the most spook-tacular nebula in the galaxy? One
   contender is LDN 43, which bears an astonishing resemblance to a vast
   cosmic bat flying amongst the stars on a dark Halloween night. Located
   about 1400 light years away in the constellation Ophiuchus, this
   molecular cloud is dense enough to block light not only from background
   stars, but from wisps of gas lit up by the nearby reflection nebula LBN
   7. Far from being a harbinger of death, this 12-light year-long
   filament of gas and dust is actually a stellar nursery. Glowing with
   eerie light, the bat is lit up from inside by dense gaseous knots that
   have just formed young stars.

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                                 (post 1995)
                      Tomorrow's picture: amazing STEVE
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