A stunning telescopic view of a cometary globule, NGC 6231, silhouetted against a vibrant star field in the constellation Scorpius. This dark nebula, spanning nearly 40 light-years, appears as an ominous dark tower, with reddish glowing hydrogen gas bordering it, illuminated by intense ultraviolet radiation from nearby hot stars. Blue reflection nebulae hint at stars embedded within the dust and gas. The image reveals the beauty and complexity of star formation within this 5,000 light-year distant cosmic cloud.

Astronomy Picture from 06/01/2013

The Dark Tower in Scorpius

Source: https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130106.html


#CosmicTower #DarkNebula #CometaryGlobule #NGC6231 #StarFormation #SpaceDust #Astrophotography #DeepSpace #Scorpius #Nebulae #Astronomy #Space #Universe #Cosmos #Stars