A recent image released by ESO thanks to the Very Large Telescope shows us one dark nebula. The protagonist of the representation is the Cone Nebula, which is part of a larger complex 2,500 light-years away called NGC 2264 and which can be found in the constellation Unicorn.
Not all nebulae in the universe are bright or formed with flashy colors. Some are dark, with thick layers of dust that absorb visible light. Only light at wavelengths invisible to the human eyesuch as infrared light or radio waves can penetrate these dust “shells”.
Such structures are also known as “molecular clouds” and are where small stars are born. Dust on the other hand is an efficient emitter of infrared light, which carries away heat energy and causes the cloud to cool; without the outward pressure provided by heat, gravity overwhelms the clumps of dust and gas and forces them together, forming star seeds.
Arrived at a certain mass, the star produces what astronomers call feedback, i.e. plasma jets accelerated by the star’s magnetic field lines that generate a powerful radiation pressure generated by ultraviolet light. And it is precisely this that gives the Cone Nebula its iconic shape.
This is a visible light image, showing details that cannot be seen at other wavelengths.
