NASA releases spooky image of 'cosmic bat nebula' just in time for Halloween

CHICAGO (WLS) -- What is the most spook-tacular nebula in the galaxy?

One contender is LDN 43, which bears an astonishing resemblance to a cosmic bat flying amongst the stars on a dark Halloween night. NASA released a photo of the nebula just in time for Halloween!

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The nebula is about 1,400 light years away in the constellation Ophiuchus. The molecular cloud is dense enough to block light not just from background stars, but from wisps of gas lit up by a nearby reflection nebula called LBN 7.

The nebula itself is 12 light years long and consists of gas and dust is actually a stellar nursery. dense gaseous knots that have formed young stars light it up from the inside.