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Birthday · October 6, 1995

Dark Bok Globules in IC 2944

October 6, 1995

You were born on a tiny world orbiting an ordinary star in an unremarkable galaxy — and yet, the fact that you exist at all is the most...

Dark Bok Globules in IC 2944

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APOD published October 6, 1995. Credit: Anglo-Australian Telescope Board. A publication-date match, not a photo taken on your date. Independent of NASA.

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Dark Bok Globules in IC 2944

Original APOD · October 6, 1995

The dark spots in the above picture are not photographic defects but an unusual type of interstellar cloud known as a Bok globule. Bok globules, named after astronomer Bart Bok who studied them extensively, are small dark clouds made of gas and dust that are typically condensing to form a star or stars. These Bok globules are found in front of a glowing H II region known as IC 2499.

Image credit: Anglo-Australian Telescope Board

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