Why does Barnard 68 appear dark? (Intermediate)

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Details: Tuesday, 16 December 2003 18:16; Answered by Brian Kent; Views: 79559

I was surfing and looking up pictures and information on the NASA page and I stumbled upon a picture of the Molecular Cloud Barnard 68. Is that dark molecular cloud they were talking about the same as the dark matter I've been reading about on your website?

No, this has nothing to do with dark matter. The picture of Barnard 68 (a dark molecular cloud) is dark because of dust and gas absorbing light from stars behind the cloud at optical wavelengths.

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About the Author

Brian Kent

Brian Kent is a scientist with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. He studies the dynamics of galaxies and works with 3D visualization and software for radio telescopes. He earned his Ph.D. from Cornell in 2008.

Read about what he works on:
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