The Three-Eyed Raven - LDN 169 & 183

I never expected an astronomical picture to conjure the spirit animal of Bran the Broken, but it was the first thing I thought of as I processed this image.

Haloed (left to right) by 36 Serpentis (a triple star system), Mu Serpentis (a binary pair), and 30 Serpentis (a lone sub-giant), LDN 169 and LDN 183 obscure copious amounts of ionized red hydrogen gas. That is the restult of the extinction the cold molecular clouds between here and there causes.

Extinction is a fancy scientific word for “blocking and scattering light.” The dark areas in LDN 169 and 183 are so dense and thick, visible light can’t pass through them. These nebulas are about 342 light years away, but they are 65 light years thick and fairly dense, which means the visible light of stars and galaxies simply can’t get through (note that infrared light can generally navigate such areas).