                        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 June 11
   Colorful nebula and stars fill the wide images. The yellow star Antares
    is visible on the left and blue reflection nebula surround a central
    nebula and the nebula on the right surrounding the Rho Ophiuchi star
      system. Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                 Colorful Stars and Clouds near Rho Ophiuchi
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Craig Stocks

   Explanation: Why is the sky near Antares and Rho Ophiuchi so colorful,
   yet dusty? The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes.
   Fine dust -- illuminated by starlight -- produces blue reflection
   nebulae. Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by ultraviolet
   starlight produce reddish emission nebulae. Backlit dust clouds block
   starlight and so appear dark. Antares, a red supergiant and one of the
   brighter stars in the night sky, lights up the yellow-red clouds on the
   upper right of the featured image. The Rho Ophiuchi star system lies at
   the center of the blue reflection nebula on the left, while a different
   reflection nebula, IC 4605, lies just below and right of the image
   center. These star clouds are even more colorful than humans can see,
   emitting light across the electromagnetic spectrum.

      Open Science: Browse 3,400+ codes in the Astrophysics Source Code
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                     Tomorrow's picture: unexpected sky
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

