Two column-like dark clouds composed mainly of dust dominate my image. They are framed by glowing red hydrogen clouds. These dark clouds are illuminated by the many stars of the Milky Way, reflecting their light and thus becoming visible to us. At the top right, amidst a bluish reflection nebula—NGC 1788—an almost black dust cloud appears, which, with a little imagination, looks like a bat. Hence the name Cosmic Bat Nebula. Stars within the reflection nebula produce the blue glow. It is also a site of active star formation with many young stars, triggered by the winds and light of bright stars in Orion.
Cosmic Bat Nebula NGC1788