Colorful Stars and Clouds near Rho Ophiuchi

Colorful Stars and Clouds near Rho Ophiuchi

Image Credit & Copyright:
Craig Stocks

Explanation:
Why is the sky near
Antares and
Rho Ophiuchi so colorful, yet dusty?

The colors result from a mixture of objects and processes.

Fine dust — illuminated by starlight — produces blue
reflection nebulae.

Gaseous clouds whose atoms are excited by
ultraviolet
starlight produce reddish emission nebulae.

Backlit dust clouds block starlight and so
appear dark.

Antares,
a red supergiant and one of the
brighter stars in the night sky,
lights up the yellow-red clouds on the upper right of the
featured image.

The Rho Ophiuchi
star system lies at the center of the blue
reflection nebula on the left, while a different reflection nebula,
IC 4605,
lies
just below and right of the image center.

These star clouds are even more
colorful than
humans can see,
emitting light across the electromagnetic spectrum.