Object: Barnard 68

View full image: IU_Bicentennial_Barnard68.jpg

Caption: The dark nebula Barnard 68, at a distance of only 500 light years, blocks the light from more distant stars. Containing about twice the mass of the Sun, Barnard 68 will likely collapse to form a star in the next few hundred thousand years.

Image credit: L. van Zee, G. Rowe, & IU Astronomy

This project was partially funded by the Daniel Kirkwood Chair, the Hollis and Grete Johnson Astronomy Endowment funds, and from the Office of the Bicentennial.