Snake Nebula
Coordinates: 
17h 23m 30s, −23° 38′ 00″
17h 23m 30s, −23° 38′ 00″arcmins | |
|---|---|
| Constellation | Ophiuchus |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | N/A ly |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | – |
| Notable features | – |
| Designations | Barnard 72 |
The Snake Nebula (also known as Barnard 72) is a dark nebula in the Ophiuchus constellation. It is a small but readily apparent SP-shaped dust lane that snakes out in front of the Milky Way star clouds from the north-north-west edge of the bowl of the Pipe Nebula. Its thickness runs between 2′ and 3′ and runs around 6′ in the north-west / south-east orientation. A good view in a 4" to 6" telescope requires clear dark skies.
It is part of the much larger Dark Horse Nebula.
To the right of the Snake Nebula is Barnard 68. Below it is Barnard 69, Barnard 70, and Barnard 74.
External links
- The Snake Nebula on
- Nemiroff, R.; Bonnell, J., eds. (20 February 2009). "Snake in the Dark". Astronomy Picture of the Day. NASA.