Sandqvist 169
This image shows the striking dark nebula Sandqvist 169, located in the constellation Corona Australis, just north of the Coronet Cluster — a region known for active star formation.
Unlike glowing emission nebulae, dark nebulae like this one are visible only because they obscure the background starlight, appearing as intricate silhouettes against the dense star fields of the Milky Way.
Sandqvist 169 is part of a catalog of dark nebulae published in the 1970s by astronomer Aage Sandqvist. In this view, the nebula stretches across the frame in a network of thread-like tendrils, cutting stark paths through the galactic plane. These clouds are rich in cold gas and dust, and within them are likely dense cores where new stars may be forming, hidden from view in optical wavelengths.
This region belongs to the Corona Australis Molecular Cloud, one of the nearest star-forming complexes, located about 430 light-years from Earth. The image spans several degrees and highlights both the delicate structures of interstellar dust and the subtle interplay between darkness and light across the galactic plane.
Imaged in LRGB on my Planewave DR 350 at Observatorio El Sauce, Chile.
Image acquisition and processing: Mike Selby