7/20/2025 the Rho Ophiuchus Cloud Complex

Near the bright red star Antares is a large complex of interstellar clouds. Some are emission, some are reflection, and some are dark clouds. This is probably the best image I’ve ever gotten of it although I have seen many that were far better.

In the pentagram near the center are Antares at the bottom of the pentagram and the globular cluster M4 above and to the right of it. The other three points of the pentagram haven’t earned a name yet. They probably have, I just don’t know what they are. The star just above and to the left of the pentagram is Rho Ophiuchus itself. Just barely in the constellation of Ophiuchus while the pentagram is in Scorpius.

This was shot with my Samyang 135mm F/2 lens and ASI2600MC Pro with an Antlia Triband RGB Ultra filter for a total of two hours from the River Ridge Observatory.

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