NGC 6520 and Barnard 86

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About This Photograph

In this image, we see striking contrasts. We are looking roughly toward the center of our galaxy, in the constellation of Sagittarius. Forming the background is a vast cloud of countless stars, ancient denizens of the Milky Way. On the left is a young star cluster, NGC 6520. The hot, blue stars of the cluster tip us off to its relative youth. To the right is Barnard 86, a dark nebula. This cloud of relatively dense gas and dust, apparently a remnant of the formation of NGC 6520, blocks the light from the star cloud beyond.