images

Molecular cloud Barnard 68 in visible and infrared.

by

ESO/Novapix

Reference

a-neb90-68002

Date

2006-08-26

False-colour composite based on a visible (here rendered as blue), a near-infrared (green) and an infrared (red) image. Since the light from stars behind the cloud is only visible at the longest (infrared) wavelengths, they appear red. At a distance of only 410 light-years, Barnard 68 is one of the nearest dark clouds. The temperature of Barnard 68 is 16 Kelvin (-257 °C) .