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Posted on 05/20/2026 12:55:07 PM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: A dark wolf lies in gum. No, this isn’t a riddle! Today's image features the Dark Wolf Nebula (Sandqvist–Lindroos 17), a spooky dust cloud embedded within the Gum 55 (RCW 113) Nebula in the Scorpius constellation. While dust is a pest to us, it serves a vital role in creating the necessary conditions for stars to be born. The Dark Wolf absorbs the intense ultraviolet and visible light emitted by young stars in Gum 55 and re-emits it at longer, mainly infrared, wavelengths. This prevents the higher energy light from heating up the gas in the region. When a region of gas is cool enough, gravity takes over and causes the gas to collapse into a star. Not only does dust act as an interstellar thermostat, but it is also the meet-cute for single hydrogen atoms forming molecular hydrogen, the building block for stars. The seemingly sinister Dark Wolf is actually a harbinger of cosmic life.
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I hate nebula, they’re always so full of hot gas.
Aptly named
Brian Harold May’s PhD thesis is titled: A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud.
Gotta get my eyes checked. I read the title too fast, and thought it said “Duck Wolf Nebula”. 😁
Although, that dark thing in the middle does kinda resemble a black duck. Daffy, maybe? (The duck, not me)
Too much Taco Bel. Heh.
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