Snake nebula
| Snake nebula | |
|---|---|
| |
| Observational Data | |
| Designation | Barnard 72 |
| Right ascension | 17h 24m 03.51s |
| Declination | -23° 38' |
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Type of object | Dark nebula |
| Dimensions | 0.5° across[1] |
| Astrometry | |
| Distance from Earth | 7,500 ly[1] |
The Snake nebula (Barnard 72) is a dark nebula in the constellation of Ophiuchus.[1] Part of the larger Dark horse nebula, it was catalogued by Edward Emerson Barnard in the early 20th century as Barnard 72.[2] It consists of gas and dust that obscures the stars behind the nebula, producing a dark region on the night sky that appears devoid of stars. It's "S" like shape produces a similarity to a snake, giving the nebula its name.
The nebula is situated around 650 light years from Earth.[3] It appear 0.5° wide on the night sky (similar to that of a full moon) meaning it 5 light years across.[4] The dust in the nebula is mainly composed of carbon.[3] Several other objects classified by Barnard are located nearby, including: Barnard 68, Barnard 69, Barnard 70 and Barnard 74.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Snake in the Dark from apod.nasa.gov
- ↑ The Snake nebula in Ophiuchus from annesastronomynews.com
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 The Snake nebula from CFHT from apod.nasa.gov
- ↑ Snake nebula from space.com