
October 6, 1995
Dark Bok Globules in IC 2944

October 6, 1995
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.
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