The Snake Nebula. This one is interesting because it’s defined not by its brightness, but by its *darkness*. Western cultures tended to name only the bright things in the sky, but other cultures such as the Incas also named the dark regions in the sky. Positive space and Negative space. Both equally important.
The black is clouds of dust and gas blocking the light from the stars behind them. It may stay black for billions of years until a star comes nearby it; then it would glow pink and blue from reflected and emitted light.
The Incas believed the bright constellations represented animals, but inanimate ones; they believed the dark regions represented *living* animals.
[3″ APO refractor f/7 with ST-2000XM 2 megapixel camera @ Mt. Teide, Canary Islands, Spain]
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