Celestial Cloud Complex

Our parent galaxy Milky Way has a nebula giving birth to stars neath ‘baby blanket’ array that’s one of the closest to Earth of astral-forming regions around— Rho Ophiuchi Complex Cloud, named for the bright stellar body found in its picturesque dusty shroud. The colorful image multi-hued within Ophiuchus was spied, a constellation in south skies viewed to the Greek Asclepius tied, in mythology as healer known whose medicines cured afflictions, thus among stars ‘serpent bearer’ shown holding a snake in depictions. Often as symbol of evil used, albeit fertility too, with remedies this serpent’s infused in lore from which Ptolemy drew. The Complex three nebulae contains, emission, reflection, and dark, with fourteen light-years across domains where myriad starlets embark. Varied wavelengths are captured in tints of infrared made seeable via NASA’s WISE or wide-field glints celestially agreeable. Indeed there are countless treasure troves as yet undiscovered in space of cosmic coves and galactic groves for telescope gazers to trace. Yet where but our planetary home in this Goldilocks favored place under a lapis lazuli dome can we dwell in nature’s embrace? ~ Harley White * * * * * * * * * Inspiration from articles and image~ The Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex, with image taken with NASA’s Wide-field Infrared Explorer, or WISE.