Astro-image of the Day: Rho Ophiuchi dark cloud

[mckitterick]

Of all the gorgeous objects in our Milky Way galaxy, star-forming regions such as this nebula have to be the most beautiful. Studies using the Spitzer Space Telescope data show more than 300 baby stars with a median age of 300,000 years - compare that to the Sun's middle-aged 4.5 billion years or the most aged stars of more than 12 billion years. When I say "baby," I mean it! Heck, they're younger than the Human species.

Click the image to see the story and much larger images.

Best,
Chris