Spooky Nebula
The National Optical Astronomy Observatory snapped this photo of the haunting SH2 136 Nebula.
Image Credit: Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF
The cosmic dust clouds in the image look like galactic ghosts haunting nearby stars. Most ghosts pale in comparison to this nebula, however: It stretches about 2 light-years across.
Scientists believe nebulae -- which are essentially massive space clouds of dust and gas -- provide the materials for planets and other large cosmic objects. One of NASA's most famous images, the Pillars of Creation, is actually an image of a nebula.
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