Dark nebula
The Rho Ophiuchi Cloud
Also Rho Ophiuchi cloud complex · Ophiuchus molecular cloud
A nearby complex of dust clouds where hundreds of stars are forming.
Measured
- Distance
- about 450 light-years (published estimates 440–460)
- Size
- about 50 light-years across (approximate)
- Constellation
- Ophiuchus
- Position (J2000)
- RA 16h 28m 06s, Dec −24.54°
How far, from the Sun
About 450 light-years. To cross it:
- Light450 years
- Voyager 1's speed8 million years
- Driving at 100 km/h4.86 billion years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- It is one of the closest star-forming regions to the Sun, about 450 light years away.
- Its dense core hides over 300 young stars, some so obscured that they show only at longer infrared wavelengths.
Where this comes from
- Ortiz-León et al. 2017, VLBA parallaxes (137 pc)
Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.