What is the most spook-tacular nebula in the galaxy? One contender is LDN 43, which bears an astonishing resemblance to a vast cosmic bat flying amongst the stars on a dark Halloween night. Located about 1400 light years away in the constellation Ophiuchus , this molecular cloud is dense enough to block light not only from background stars, but from wisps of gas lit up by the nearby reflection nebula LBN 7 . Far from being a harbinger of death, this 12-light year-long filament of gas and dust is actually a stellar nursery . Glowing with eerie light, the bat is lit up from inside by dense gaseous knots that have just formed young stars .
Celebrate: Halloween With NASA Online
Media Credits & Attribution
Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson and Mike Selby ; Text: Michelle Thaller ( NASA 's GSFC )