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A distant star cloud

Kfir Simon, taken from Tivoli Farm, Namibia

Unlike a star cluster, whose members are bound by their own gravity, a star cloud is simply a dense concentration of stars, appearing exactly as it sounds. NGC 206 (at center) is the brightest star cloud in the Andromeda Galaxy (M31), captured here with a 24-inch scope at f/4.5 and HαLRGB exposures of 60, 120, 20, 20, and 20 minutes, respectively.

Astronomy magazine June 2025 cover

June 2025