June 20, 2003
Another birthday means another year in which the universe got to experience itself through your particular combination of wonder and will.
Snake in the Dark
Birthday · June 20, 2003
A little universe, just for you
Your date.
Ready to give.
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APOD published June 20, 2003. Credit: Gary Stevens. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Dark nebulae snake across a gorgeous expanse of stars in this wide-field view toward the pronounceable constellation Ophiucus and the center of our Milky Way Galaxy. In fact, the central S-shape seen here is well known as the Snake Nebula. It is also listed as Barnard 72 (B72), one of 182 dark markings of the sky cataloged in the early 20th century by astronomer E. E. Barnard. Unlike bright emission nebulae and star clusters, Barnard's nebulae are interstellar dark clouds of obscuring gas and dust. Their shapes are visible in cosmic silhouette only because they lie in the foreground along the line of sight to rich star fields and glowing stellar nurseries near the plane of our Galaxy. Many of Barnard's dark nebulae are themselves likely sites of future star formation. Barnard 72 is a few light years across and about 650 light years away.
Image credit: Gary Stevens