April 14, 1998
The oldest light in the universe still hums faintly through space, a relic of the beginning itself.
Starlight Reflections
Birthday · April 14, 1998
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published April 14, 1998. Credit: G. Greaney. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Wisps of dust fill the space between the stars. This dust is usually invisible, subtly acting to dim the light of more distant stars. Sometimes this dust is thick and prominent as dark patches on otherwise bright emission nebulae. Other times this dust may show itself by reflecting the light of bright, nearby stars. Because bright stars tend to be blue, and because dust reflects blue light more easily than red, the resulting reflection nebula usually appears blue. Pictured above is the reflection nebula Sharpless 2-1 in the constellation of Scorpius.
Image credit: G. Greaney