Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Ophiuchus (Oph)  ·  Contains:  42 Oph)  ·  44 Oph  ·  The star Garafsa (θ Oph  ·  The star b Oph
Barnard 72 - Snake Nebula, Mirosław Stygar
Barnard 72 - Snake Nebula
Powered byPixInsight

Barnard 72 - Snake Nebula

Barnard 72 - Snake Nebula, Mirosław Stygar
Barnard 72 - Snake Nebula
Powered byPixInsight

Barnard 72 - Snake Nebula

Equipment

Loading...

Acquisition details

Loading...

Description

It's time for another Namibian shot. This time, it's the Barnard 72 Nebula (B 72), also known as the Snake Nebula, in the constellation Ophiuchus.

This dark nebula was discovered by Edward Barnard at the beginning of the 20th century. Observing objects of this type, we subconsciously get the impression that we are looking at an area without stars - a dark void. In reality, we are dealing with dense dust obscuring a multitude of stars.

Considered relatively nearby, located at a distance of 650 light-years, B72 is a compact nebula stretching 6 arcminutes. It is relatively narrow, with a thickness ranging from 2 to 3 arcminutes. The densest part of the dust cloud forms an S-shaped structure winding for 5 light-years, which is why it was initially called the "S" Nebula and later the Snake Nebula.

Noteworthy is also a series of smaller nebulae classified both by Barnard and belonging to the LDN (Lynds Dark Nebula) catalog, with the darkest and densest being B68.

Comments

Sky plot

Sky plot

Histogram

Barnard 72 - Snake Nebula, Mirosław Stygar

In these public groups

Poland