Wed 1st of Jul 2026 UTC
Astronomy.co.uk Moon Phase Widget
Age: 16 days old
Phase: Waning Gibbous
Illumination: 97%
Distance: 400,904 km
from the NASA archive - 1st July 2026

Although they look like cotton candy, you cannot eat these clouds!

Taken in Cádiz, Spain, today's image features the Rho Ophiuchi complex, a rich tapestry of young and old astronomical phenomena. This colorful cloud complex is a nearby star-forming region containing hundreds of young stellar objects, including protostars and T Tauri stars. Light from the triple star system at its center reflects off of small dust grains to create the blue reflection nebula. Ultraviolet light from hot stars ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, creating the red emission nebula. Antares, a red supergiant big enough to engulf the Solar System’s asteroid belt, lights up the yellow region. Dark interstellar dust blocks some of the complex’s color. Recent JWST observations exhibit shadows cast by hidden circumstellar disks, the beginning stages of planet formation. Messier 4, a globular cluster almost as old as the universe, sits in the bottom right and witnesses yet another chaotic burst of youth in the Milky Way.

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17th January 2022 at 16:33
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16th January 2022 at 14:07
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5th January 2022 at 10:54
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Astronomy.co.uk
4th January 2022 at 10:01
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Astronomy.co.uk
2nd January 2022 at 09:07
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31st December 2021 at 11:25
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Astronomy.co.uk
30th December 2021 at 13:57
DEM L249, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud, is an unusual supernova remnant. Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and Y. Chou (Academia Sinica, Institute of Astronomy and Astrophysics); Processing: Gladys Kober (NASA/Catholic University of America)
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