                        Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                 2026 July 1
   A handful of different types of clouds splatter across the image, with
     bright stars embedded within. Dust blocks some parts of the clouds.
    Many small stars cover the background, with a cluster of them sitting
                 in the bottom right beneath all the clouds.

                   The Cotton Candy Clouds of Rho Ophiuchi
                   Image Credit & Copyright: Ángel Molina
         Text: Keighley Rockcliffe (NASA GSFC, UMBC CSST, CRESST II)

   Explanation: Although they look like cotton candy, you cannot eat these
   clouds! Taken in Cádiz, Spain, today's image features the Rho Ophiuchi
   complex, a rich tapestry of young and old astronomical phenomena. This
   colorful cloud complex is a nearby star-forming region containing
   hundreds of young stellar objects, including protostars and T Tauri
   stars. Light from the triple star system at its center reflects off of
   small dust grains to create the blue reflection nebula. Ultraviolet
   light from hot stars ionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, creating the
   red emission nebula. Antares, a red supergiant big enough to engulf the
   Solar System’s asteroid belt, lights up the yellow region. Dark
   interstellar dust blocks some of the complex’s color. Recent JWST
   observations exhibit shadows cast by hidden circumstellar disks, the
   beginning stages of planet formation. Messier 4, a globular cluster
   almost as old as the universe, sits in the bottom right and witnesses
   yet another chaotic burst of youth in the Milky Way.

                     Tomorrow's picture: pixels in space
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Amber Straughn Specific rights apply.
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                           NASA Science Activation
                             & Michigan Tech. U.

