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How can we see dark nebulae?

Dark Nebula
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Oscar avatar
Oscar avatar
Is it from reflections, or silhouettes? Because I've seen some dark nebula have brown tones, and I think that's impossible if light is not reflecting off of it; I've also seen very black ones that require the most background stars as possible in order to see as a silhouette, and they sometimes have dark blue tones. What is a dark nebula? smile All this time learning about astrophotography and I don't even know what a dark nebula is.
andrea tasselli avatar
andrea tasselli avatar
Dark nebulae are defined by absorption of light, by and large by dust in its various forms.
Monty Chandler avatar
Monty Chandler avatar
Yes - reflections and silhouettes.  Most are visible as they reflect/absorb light from a nearby star.  Most of the vdB catalog also have LDN/LBN targets nearby, made more visible by the same cluster of stars.  Also, because the Milky Way is a bright galaxy, our sky is not black and these objects can be seen as silhouettes as they block the stars/light behind them.  Significant integration time can be required.
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