This is Incredible

So I was over at Patrick's Place (see tomorrow for further commentary on breastfeeding in public) and I took a look at his Favorite Sites and this is what I found, from NASA.  Good night and sleep well; it's an amazing universe out there (here).

                                                                2004 August 9

The Dark River to Antares
Credit & Copyright: Loke Kun Tan (StarryScapes)

Explanation: Connecting the Pipe Nebula to the bright star Antares is a flowing dark cloud nicknamed the Dark River. The murkiness of the Dark River is caused by absorption of background starlight by dust, although the nebula contains mostly hydrogen and molecular gas. Antares, the brightest star in the frame, is embedded in the colorful Rho Ophiuchi nebula clouds. The Dark River, pictured above across the upper left, spans over 20 times the angular diameter of the Moon and lies about 500 light years distant. Other types of nebula visible here include red emission nebula and the blue reflection nebula.