A Veil in Ophiuchus: Dark Nebulae LDN 234 & LDN 204 [AI Narration]

A Veil in Ophiuchus: Dark Nebulae LDN 234 & LDN 204 [AI Narration]

The diffuse hydrogen-alpha glow of emission region Sh2-27 fills this cosmic scene. This field of view spans nearly 3 degrees across the nebula-rich constellation Ophiuchus toward the central Milky Way. A dark veil of wispy interstellar dust clouds draped across the foreground is chiefly identified as LDN 234 and LDN 204 from the 1962 Catalog of Dark Nebulae by American astronomer Beverly Lynds. Sh2-27 itself is the large but faint HII region surrounding runaway O-type star Zeta Ophiuchi. Along with the Zeta Oph HII region, LDN 234 and LDN 204 are likely 500 or so light-years away. At that distance, this telescopic frame would be about 25 light-years wide.

An H II region is a region of interstellar atomic hydrogen that is ionized. It is typically in a molecular cloud of partially ionized gas where star formation has recently taken place with a size ranging from one to hundreds of light years, and density from a few to about a million particles per cubic centimeter.

Image Credit & Copyright: Katelyn Beecroft
Katelyn's website: https://app.astrobin.com/u/kates.universe#gallery

Duration: 1 minute, 39 seconds
Release Date: Aug. 29, 2025

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