Use of VLT surveying telescope (VST) At ESO’s Paranal Observatory, astronomers have created stunning images of comet globule GN 16.43.7.01, located 5,000 light-years away in the constellation Scorpius.
comet globule A faint, small interstellar cloud of gas and dust that resembles a comet.
These objects were first recognized in 1976 in photographs taken with the British Schmidt telescope in Australia.
Unlike most dark clouds, comet globules are isolated neutral globules surrounded by a hot ionizing medium.
They consist of a compact, dusty, opaque head and a long, wispy tail.
The darkness of comet globules makes them particularly difficult targets for color photography.
“Comet globules have nothing to do with comets other than appearance.”
“It is named for its dusty head and long black tail, as seen in this VST image.”
“This globule, called the Dark Tower, is located about 5,000 light-years from Earth in the southern constellation of Scorpius.”
“It contains dense clumps of collapsing gas and dust from which stars are born.”
“The object's strange shape was carved out by intense radiation from a cluster of young, bright stars in the upper left, just outside the camera.”
“This radiation swept around and outlined the comet's globule with the characteristic pink glow of hot, excited matter.”
Source: www.sci.news
