﻿ 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. 2022 January 17 [2]The featured image shows a dark nebula complex involving thick dust. Please see the explanation for more detailed information. Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Jarmo Ruuth, [4]Telescope Live, [5]Heaven's Mirror Observatory Explanation: Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an angular elegance. Such is the case toward the far-south [6]constellation of Chamaeleon. Normally [7]too faint to see, dark dust is best known for blocking visible light from stars and galaxies behind it. In [8]this four-hour exposure, however, [9]the dust is seen mostly in light of its own, with its strong red and near-[10]infrared colors giving creating a brown hue. Contrastingly blue, the bright star [11]Beta Chamaeleontis is visible just to the right of center, with the dust that surrounds it preferentially reflecting blue light from its primarily blue-white color. All of the [12]pictured stars and dust occur in our own Milky Way Galaxy with -- but one [13]notable exception: the white spot just [14]below Beta Chamaeleontis is the galaxy IC 3104 which lies far in the distance. [15]Interstellar dust is mostly created in the cool atmospheres of [16]giant stars and dispersed into space by stellar light, [17]stellar winds, and [18]stellar explosions such as [19]supernovas. Tomorrow's picture: icons over australia __________________________________________________________________ [20]< | [21]Archive | [22]Submissions | [23]Index | [24]Search | [25]Calendar | [26]RSS | [27]Education | [28]About APOD | [29]Discuss | [30]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [31]Robert Nemiroff ([32]MTU) & [33]Jerry Bonnell ([34]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [35]Specific rights apply. [36]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [37]ASD at [38]NASA / [39]GSFC & [40]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2201/DarkNebulaVd_HmoRuuth_4096.jpg 3. https://www.instagram.com/jarmoruuth/ 4. https://telescope.live/about 5. https://help.telescope.live/hc/en-us/articles/360002914138-Heaven-s-Mirror-Observatory-Australia-AUS- 6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamaeleon 7. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap180628.html 8. https://www.flickr.com/photos/29679880@N05/51806716079/ 9. https://www.flickr.com/photos/hiroc/47807534932 10. https://science.nasa.gov/ems/07_infraredwaves 11. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta_Chamaeleontis 12. http://asterisk.apod.com/viewtopic.php?f=29&t=42126&start=25#p319709 13. https://static.onecms.io/wp-content/uploads/sites/20/2021/09/28/startled-cat-5.jpg 14. http://www.werbeagentur.org/oldwexi/gallery.html 15. https://astronomy.swin.edu.au/cosmos/d/Dust+Grain 16. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_giant 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap000318.html 18. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_stellar_explosion_types 19. https://www.science.org/content/article/interstellar-dust-may-come-supernovae-after-all 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220116.html 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 24. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 29. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220117 30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220118.html 31. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 32. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 33. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 34. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 36. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 37. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 38. https://www.nasa.gov/ 39. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 40. http://www.mtu.edu/