Snake Nebula

Ophiuchus - Dark Nebula - Barnard 72

Click on the image for higher resolution (1600 x 1072 pixels)

B72 - The Snake Nebula in Ophiuchus

E.E. Barnard catalogued 182 sky objects early in the 20th century. These objects, known as dark nebulae, are clouds of thick gas and dust that obscure the objects behind them. Therefore, unless there are bright objects in the background, it's unlikely you'd even see objects like B72, known as the Snake Nebula. Perhaps the second best known dark nebula behind the Horsehead (B33), the Snake rests in the far southern region of Ophiuchus in an area of the Milky Way between the constellations Sagittarius and Scorpius. It is a region that is littered with interstellar dust, stars, and glowing star nurseries. Also in the shot are several other Barnard objects, including B68, B69, B70, B73, B74, B76, and B77.

Location: Texas Star Party 2004 near Fort Davis, Texas
Date: May 21, 2004
Transparency: 9/10
Seeing: 8/10
Scope/Mount: Tak FSQ-106 @ f/5 on Tak NJP mount
Camera: SBIG STL-6303E with integrated filter wheel
Exposure Info: Grayscale, clear filter (6 x 10 minutes)
Processing Info: Dark calibration, deblooming, registration, and Sigma combine in MaxIm 4. DDP in MaxIm 4. Curves and levels in Photoshop CS.