Dark Horse (astronomy)

Barnard 59, 77, 78

The Dark Horse Nebula or Great Dark Horse is a big dark cloud. It lies in the southern constellation Ophiuchus, near the border with Scorpio and Sagittarius; viewed from Earth, it covers parts of the upper center of the Milky Way. In regions where no light pollution is present, the mist can be seen with the naked eye.

The name of the nebula indicates its similarity with the silhouette of a horse that appears dark against the star background. The Great refers to its large apparent size, it is one of the largest complexes of dark nebulae: The rear part of the nebula ( torso and hind legs ) is also called Pipe Nebula, which in turn are labeled B77, B78 and B59 in the Barnard catalog. At the Dark Horse mist the snake fog closes in, this extends to the Rho Ophiuchus Nebula.