Shark Nebula

A dark molecular cloud whose sinuous dust lanes trace the shape of a shark gliding through the stars. Opaque interstellar dust blocks the light of everything behind it, while embedded reflection nebulae — vdB 149 and vdB 150 — glow a pale blue where starlight scatters off the fine grains. At roughly 650 light-years away, these cold, quiet clouds are the raw material from which new stars may one day form.