Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]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. 2021 October 29 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Haunting the Cepheus Flare Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Leo Shatz Explanation: [5]Spooky shapes seem to haunt this dusty expanse, drifting through the night in the royal constellation [6]Cepheus. Of course, the shapes are cosmic dust clouds visible in dimly reflected starlight. Far from [7]your own neighborhood, they lurk above the plane of the Milky Way at the edge of the [8]Cepheus Flare molecular cloud complex some 1,200 light-years away. Over 2 light-years across and brighter than most of the other ghostly apparitions, vdB 141 or Sh2-136 is also known as the [9]Ghost Nebula, seen at the right of the starry field of view. Inside the nebula are the telltale signs of dense cores collapsing in the early stages [10]of star formation. With the eerie hue of dust reflecting bluish light from hot young stars of [11]NGC 7023, the Iris Nebula stands out against the dark just left of center. [12]In the broad telescopic frame, these fertile interstellar dust fields stretch almost seven full moons across the sky. Tomorrow's picture: of light and shadow __________________________________________________________________ [13]< | [14]Archive | [15]Submissions | [16]Index | [17]Search | [18]Calendar | [19]RSS | [20]Education | [21]About APOD | [22]Discuss | [23]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [24]Robert Nemiroff ([25]MTU) & [26]Jerry Bonnell ([27]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [28]Specific rights apply. [29]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [30]ASD at [31]NASA / [32]GSFC & [33]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2110/IrisGhost_LeoShatz_RevB.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. https://www.astrobin.com/users/spinlock/ 5. https://exoplanets.nasa.gov/alien-worlds/galaxy-of-horrors/ 6. http://www.dibonsmith.com/cep_con.htm 7. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/news/1546/sinister-solar-system/ 8. http://arxiv.org/abs/0809.4761 9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap111031.html 10. https://www.jwst.nasa.gov/content/science/birth.html 11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap210903.html 12. https://www.astrobin.com/b8gftp/C/ 13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211028.html 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 17. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 18. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 22. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=211029 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap211030.html 24. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 26. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 27. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 29. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 30. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 31. https://www.nasa.gov/ 32. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 33. http://www.mtu.edu/