Credit & Copyright: Thomas V. Davis (tvdavisastropix.com)
Explanation:
Dark dust lit by the bright yellow star Antares highlight this photogenic starscape of the southern sky. A wider angle image shows the central band of our Milky Way Galaxy connected to Antares by streams of dust knows as the Dark River. At the head of the Dark River the dust appears in dense knots. One of the densest knots is B44, pictured near the bottom of the above image. Off to the left of the above image lies Antares, a star so bright that the pictured dust reflects its light, giving it a distinct yellow hue. Light from the blue star on the image left creates a surrounding blue reflection nebula named IC 4605. B44 and IC 4605 lies about 500 light years distant toward the constellation of the Scorpion.
B44附近的暗河星雲群
影像提供與 版權: Thomas V. Davis (tvdavisastropix.com)
說明:
南方星場的黑暗塵埃受到橘黃色的亮星-心宿二(Antares)所照亮。由一幅更寬廣的影像顯示,在我們銀河系的中心帶,塵埃組成的小河一路流到心宿二的位置,這小河又名為暗河(Dark River)。在暗河的頂端,塵埃聚集成數個小團,其中最大的一團是B44,就在影像的底端。落在影像左方之外,是黃橘色亮星心宿二,塵埃反射其光線而使塵埃帶有些許的黃色,而在圖上左方的藍色亮星則是使塵埃帶有藍色輝光,這藍色反射星雲又稱為IC 4605。B44與IC 4605距離天蠍 座約莫為500光年。