                        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.

                               2025 August 29

                          A Dark Veil in Ophiuchus
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Katelyn Beecroft

   Explanation: The diffuse hydrogen-alpha glow of emission region Sh2-27
   fills this cosmic scene. The field of view spans nearly 3 degrees
   across the nebula-rich constellation Ophiuchus toward the central Milky
   Way. A Dark Veil of wispy interstellar dust clouds draped across the
   foreground is chiefly identified as LDN 234 and LDN 204 from the 1962
   Catalog of Dark Nebulae by American astronomer Beverly Lynds. Sh2-27
   itself is the large but faint HII region surrounding runaway O-type
   star Zeta Ophiuchi. Along with the Zeta Oph HII region, LDN 234 and LDN
   204 are likely 500 or so light-years away. At that distance, this
   telescopic frame would be about 25 light-years wide.

                      Tomorrow's picture: light-weekend
     __________________________________________________________________

       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
                  NASA Web Privacy, Accessibility, Notices;
                      A service of: ASD at NASA / GSFC,
                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

