                        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 November 30

                     The Light, the Dark, and the Dusty
                 Image Credit & Copyright: Anthony Quintile

   Explanation: This colorful skyscape spans about four full moons across
   nebula rich starfields along the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy in the
   royal northern constellation Cepheus. Near the edge of the region's
   massive molecular cloud some 2,400 light-years away, bright reddish
   emission region Sharpless (Sh) 155 is at the center of the frame, also
   known as the Cave Nebula. About 10 light-years across the cosmic cave's
   bright walls of gas are ionized by ultraviolet light from the hot young
   stars around it. Dusty reflection nebulae, like vdB 155 to the right,
   and dense obscuring clouds of dust also abound on the interstellar
   canvas. Astronomical explorations have revealed other dramatic signs of
   star formation, including the bright reddish fleck of Herbig-Haro (HH)
   168. Below and right of center, the Herbig-Haro object emission is
   generated by energetic jets from a newborn star.

                      Tomorrow's picture: supernumerary
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