A dark wolf lies in gum. No, this isn’t a riddle! Today's image features the Dark Wolf Nebula ( Sandqvist-Lindroos 17), a spooky dust cloud embedded within the Gum 55 ( RCW 113) Nebula in the Scorpius constellation . While dust is a pest to us, it serves a vital role in creating the necessary conditions for stars to be born . The Dark Wolf absorbs the intense ultraviolet and visible light emitted by young stars in Gum 55 and re-emits it at longer, mainly infrared , wavelengths. This prevents the higher energy light from heating up the gas in the region. When a region of gas is cool enough, gravity takes over and causes the gas to collapse into a star. Not only does dust act as an interstellar thermostat, but it is also the meet-cute for single hydrogen atoms forming molecular hydrogen, the building block for stars. The seemingly sinister Dark Wolf is actually a harbinger of cosmic life.
Media Credits & Attribution
Image Credit & Copyright: William Vrbasso Text: Keighley Rockcliffe ( NASA GSFC , UMBC CSST , CRESST II )