
November 8, 2024
Helping Hand in Cassiopeia

November 8, 2024
Helping Hand in Cassiopeia
A little universe, just for you
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APOD published November 8, 2024. Credit: Francesco Radici. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.
Drifting near the plane of our Milky Way galaxy these dusty molecular clouds seem to extend a helping hand on a cosmic scale. Part of a local complex of star-forming interstellar clouds they include LDN 1358, 1357, and 1355 from American astronomer Beverly Lynds' 1962 Catalog of Dark Nebulae. Presenting a challenging target for astro-imagers, the obscuring dark nebulae are nearly 3,000 light-years away, toward rich starfields in the northern constellation Cassiopeia. At that distance, this deep, telescopic field of view would span about 80 light-years.
Image credit: Francesco Radici