                        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.

                               2022 January 17

                           Chamaeleon Dark Nebulas
   Image Credit & Copyright: Jarmo Ruuth, Telescope Live, Heaven's Mirror
                                 Observatory

   Explanation: Sometimes the dark dust of interstellar space has an
   angular elegance. Such is the case toward the far-south constellation
   of Chamaeleon. Normally too faint to see, dark dust is best known for
   blocking visible light from stars and galaxies behind it. In this
   four-hour exposure, however, the dust is seen mostly in light of its
   own, with its strong red and near-infrared colors giving creating a
   brown hue. Contrastingly blue, the bright star 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 pictured stars and dust occur in our own Milky Way
   Galaxy with -- but one notable exception: the white spot just below
   Beta Chamaeleontis is the galaxy IC 3104 which lies far in the
   distance. Interstellar dust is mostly created in the cool atmospheres
   of giant stars and dispersed into space by stellar light, stellar
   winds, and stellar explosions such as supernovas.

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