APOD 2.5

November 25, 2010                                                Stardust in Aries

This picture covers nearly 2 degrees across the sky, right next to the Zodiac and constellation Aries.  The blue dusty reflection at the lower right hand corner of the photograph is a nebula surrounding a star known as vdB 13 located 1,000 light years away.  In the upper left hand corner lays vdB 16 which again is surrounded by a bluish nebula.  The dusty material makes up a molecular cloud that lays home to many hidden newly formed stars and stellar objects.  These give the molecular cloud a high density core which allows for protostars to begin forming around.