images

B72 - The Snake dark nebula

by

J.Lodriguss/Novapix

Reference

a-neb90-72001

Date

2006-08-26

Barnard 72 is the famous "Snake" or "S" dark nebula in Ophiuchus. It is a concentration of obscuring dust and dark matter in space that is opaque and doesn't let the stars behind show through it. To the right of the Snake is B68, an extremely dense dark nebula, and below are B69, B70 and B74. Many of Barnard's dark nebulae are themselves likely sites of future star formation. Barnard 72 is a few light years across and about 650 light years away.