The Cotton Candy Clouds of Rho Ophiuchi
Although they look like cotton candy, you cannot eat these clouds! Taken in Cádiz, Spain , today's image features the Rho Ophiuchi complex , a rich tapestry of young and old astronomical phenomena. This colorful cloud complex is a nearby star-forming region containing hundreds of young stellar objects , including protostars and T Tauri stars . Light from the triple star system at its center reflects off of small dust grains to create the blue reflection nebula . Ultraviolet light from hot stars ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, creating the red emission nebula . Antares , a red supergiant big enough to engulf the Solar System’s asteroid belt , lights up the yellow region. Dark interstellar dust blocks some of the complex’s color. Recent JWST observations exhibit shadows cast by hidden circumstellar disks , the beginning stages of planet formation. Messier 4 , a globular cluster almost as old as the universe, sits in the bottom right and witnesses yet another chaotic burst of youth in the Milky Way.