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Astronomy Picture of the Day - NGC 4372 and the Dark Doodad
https://apod.nasa.gov/apod ^ | 30 Mar, 2023 | Tomorrow's picture: tantalizing Titan

Posted on 03/30/2023 11:45:42 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: The delightful Dark Doodad Nebula drifts through southern skies, a tantalizing target for binoculars toward the small constellation Musca, The Fly. The dusty cosmic cloud is seen against rich starfields just south of the Coalsack Nebula and the Southern Cross. Stretching for about 3 degrees across the center of this telephoto field of view, the Dark Doodad is punctuated near its southern tip (upper right) by yellowish globular star cluster NGC 4372. Of course NGC 4372 roams the halo of our Milky Way Galaxy, a background object some 20,000 light-years away and only by chance along our line-of-sight to the Dark Doodad. The Dark Doodad's well defined silhouette belongs to the Musca molecular cloud, but its better known alliterative moniker was first coined by astro-imager and writer Dennis di Cicco in 1986 while observing Comet Halley from the Australian outback. The Dark Doodad is around 700 light-years distant and over 30 light-years long.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: nasa; scienceissilly
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To be added or removed from the Astronomy Picture of the Day ping list please send me a request via "Private Reply" (Mail).

For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.

1 posted on 03/30/2023 11:45:42 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 03/30/2023 11:45:56 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; America_Right; AZ .44 MAG; ...
Pinging the APOD list.

πŸͺ 🌟 🌌 πŸ”


3 posted on 03/30/2023 11:46:30 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

I had a dark doodad this morning........................


4 posted on 03/30/2023 11:47:42 AM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: Red Badger
I had a dark doodad this morning........................

And there it is.

5 posted on 03/30/2023 11:50:58 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

That will buff right out!


6 posted on 03/30/2023 11:55:34 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: Red Badger; MtnClimber

I had a 14 inch floating doodad yesterday.


7 posted on 03/30/2023 11:56:32 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: MtnClimber; Red Badger

There’s a pinko commie wearing a helmet in the left hand corner.


8 posted on 03/30/2023 11:58:00 AM PDT by DannyTN
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To: MtnClimber

i dont care


9 posted on 03/30/2023 11:58:18 AM PDT by central_va (I won't be reconstructed and I do not give a damn...)
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To: DannyTN

Looks like a Cardinal to me...........The bird, not the football player or Catholic guy............


10 posted on 03/30/2023 12:01:47 PM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: MtnClimber

They’re clearly running out of names.


11 posted on 03/30/2023 12:03:37 PM PDT by Telepathic Intruder
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To: Red Badger

Oh I see that. If the cardinal is looking left.

But the pinko commie is looking right.


12 posted on 03/30/2023 12:05:04 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: Telepathic Intruder
They’re clearly running out of names.

NASA is probably just doing "diversity" hiring these days.

13 posted on 03/30/2023 12:05:49 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: DannyTN

You actually measured it, huh?...................πŸ€¦β€β™‚οΈπŸ€·β€β™‚οΈ


14 posted on 03/30/2023 12:05:58 PM PDT by Red Badger (Homeless veterans camp in the streets while illegal aliens are put up in hotels.....................)
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To: MtnClimber

Looks like the top of a cattail plant to me.


15 posted on 03/30/2023 12:07:33 PM PDT by Stosh
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To: Red Badger

The eye is the same for both.
But on the cardinal the nose or beak is at the same level as the eye.
On the pinko commie the nose is down below and to the right of the eye.


16 posted on 03/30/2023 12:07:37 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: Red Badger

Just eyeballed it. Not too close.


17 posted on 03/30/2023 12:08:14 PM PDT by DannyTN
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To: MtnClimber

“dark doodad”

Sounds racist.


18 posted on 03/30/2023 12:18:09 PM PDT by Leep (Hillary will NEVER be president! 😁)
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To: Leep

I can see it natural to name it 0bama, but to avoid racist accusations it is just as appropriate to name it Biden.


19 posted on 03/30/2023 12:23:12 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of Colorado scenery and wildlife, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Yup it is


20 posted on 03/30/2023 12:31:26 PM PDT by Nifster ( I see puppy dogs in the clouds )
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