                        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.

                              2019 December 12

                             Decorating the Sky
       Image Credit & Copyright: Leonardo Julio (Astronomia Pampeana)

   Explanation: Bright stars, clouds of dust and glowing nebulae decorate
   this cosmic scene, a skyscape just north of Orion's belt. Close to the
   plane of our Milky Way galaxy, the wide field view spans about 5.5
   degrees. Striking bluish M78, a reflection nebula, is on the right.
   M78's tint is due to dust preferentially reflecting the blue light of
   hot, young stars. In colorful contrast, the red sash of glowing
   hydrogen gas sweeping through the center is part of the region's faint
   but extensive emission nebula known as Barnard's Loop. At lower left, a
   dark dust cloud forms a prominent silhouette cataloged as LDN 1622.
   While M78 and the complex Barnard's Loop are some 1,500 light-years
   away, LDN 1622 is likely to be much closer, only about 500 light-years
   distant from our fair planet Earth.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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