Barnard 86 is a dark nebula in Sagittarius that is also known as the Ink Spot. To its left (east) is NGC 6520, a young open cluster. B86 is a Bok globule, a cold, dark cloud of gas and dust inside of which new stars are forming. The dust scatters and absorbs background light, making them opaque to visible light. The few stars that seem to be inside of B86 are actually foreground stars that happen to lie along the same line of sight. NGC 6520 is thought to be 60 million years old and is located at a distance of 6, 000 light-years away, spanning some 10 light-years in space. It contains some 60 stars. B86 is 6 to 7 lights years across. NGC 6520 and B86 are located in the Large Sagittarius Star Cloud, one of the most dense sections of the Milky Way, in the direction of our galaxy's center. NGC 6520 was discovered by William Herschel in 1784. Barnard 86 was cataloged by E. E. Barnard in 1913. | |
Lizenzart: | Lizenzpflichtig |
Credit: | Science Photo Library / Lodriguss, Gerard |
Bildgröße: | 5140 px × 3392 px |
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