Ophiuchus: Dusty Southern Ophiuchus Area

What slithers there? The dark winding lanes visible in part of the constellation Ophiuchus belong to the Snake Nebula. The Snake Nebula is a series of dark absorption clouds made up of Interstellar dust. Interstellar dust grains - composed predominantly of carbon - absorb visible starlight and reradiate much of it in the infrared. This absorption causes stars behind the clouds to be obscured from view, hence the appearance of starless voids on the sky. In this celestial portrait are visible several dark nebulae cataloged by Barnard: B72, B78 (part of the Pipe Nebula), B262 (the dark "scorpion" above the snake), B63 etc. This is a detailed chart of this FOV (from the original plate n.20 of Barnard catalog).

Technical details

Guiding: Skywatcher HEQ5, Vixen ED81s, DMK21AU04, PHD guiding

Capture: Canon EOS 450D, Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L @ 2.8 (piggy back), 1x5 min ISO 800

Mount Parnonas July 2012