I got to write in Scientific American about one of my all-time favorite cosmic objects: Barnard 68! It's like a hole in space, except… it isn't. www.scientificamerican.com/article/what... 🧪🔭 - ThreadSky

philplait.bsky.social • 82 days ago

I got to write in Scientific American about one of my all-time favorite cosmic objects: Barnard 68! It's like a hole in space, except… it isn't.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/whats-inside-our-galaxys-darkest-place/

🧪🔭

Comments

lieutdan.bsky.social•81 days ago

there will be a Bok Glob occupying the White House next Jan 20th ... just sayin'

tayknight.bsky.social•82 days ago

This was cool. I learned something today. Thanks, Phil.

beatricetibbs777.bsky.social•82 days ago

That is one beautiful story. Amazing to learn about B68. Thank you.
And now I wish I belonged to a band. I’d call it Barnard68. Great name.

kateretired.bsky.social•82 days ago

Interesting! We’re building an observatory in our backyard next year. Will definitely be looking for this.

djtroops.bsky.social•82 days ago

It's the Twilight Zone💙

wah-wah-wah.bsky.social•82 days ago

Congratulations!

aurafitzgerald.bsky.social•82 days ago

Barnard Castle Star 🌟

paulandstorm.bsky.social•82 days ago

[P] There's a topical creme now that you can use to treat Bok globules.

ft-friendly.bsky.social•82 days ago

Fantastic which is not fantastic 😶‍🌫️

davestewart1969.bsky.social•82 days ago

Wow. So it’s like a star crockpot rather than a blast furnace. What about gravitational waves as a Bok thingie spawns a star?

dailyquindar.bsky.social•82 days ago

Awesome!

seanorleans.bsky.social•82 days ago

Gonna read this on my break.

Meanwhile, I hope everybody is reporting and blocking the AI response bots.

janbellina.bsky.social•82 days ago

Fascinating! Thank you.

aradiamusic.bsky.social•82 days ago

Congrats! And great read. I’m often staring at Ophiuchus so it’s super cool to know what’s happening in that ‘hood.

propofolmonkey.medsky.social•82 days ago

📌

pickynicky.bsky.social•82 days ago

Great article! Thanks for sharing this fascinating info!

thundxrcloud.bsky.social•82 days ago

Super cool, thanks for sharing!

booboojr.bsky.social•82 days ago

Interesting. Thanks for posting.

bbnotsonice71.bsky.social•82 days ago

A cloud of dust makes the most sense✅

randersonwood.bsky.social•82 days ago

I love how this “hole in space” is actually a stellar nursery in the making, with the potential to one day collapse under its own gravity and give birth to new stars. It mirrors life in a way…even in the shadowy voids we all endure, there’s the promise of extraordinary growth. Such a cosmic wonder!

drewcurtis.bsky.social•82 days ago

melanieinmiami.bsky.social•82 days ago

Loved the article, and loved your clear passion about B68. 🫶 Thank you for sharing it.

kspi.bsky.social•82 days ago

Very cool!

bravehorse.bsky.social•82 days ago

Only black hole is Trump.

shatter.bsky.social•82 days ago

Great article.

I can't in good conscious call them "fart zones" anymore.

patrickgamer.bsky.social•82 days ago

This is legitimately cool

citrineglitter.bsky.social•82 days ago

What fun!!

kauket.bsky.social•82 days ago

That does make more sense when you notice the stara getting a redder brown tint

Kinda like iodine in a jar

philobiblion.bsky.social•82 days ago

Bernard’s catalog is a fascinating thing.

jamjustjam.bsky.social•82 days ago

This is super interesting, thank you. I like your writing style too!

peanutavenger.bsky.social•81 days ago

Scientific American is a beacon of scientific credibility. Congrats!

always-laurabeth.bsky.social•82 days ago

Cool! I had no idea

watsonview.bsky.social•82 days ago

📌

rich-in-eagle.bsky.social•82 days ago

Perhaps we just need a more sophisticated way of looking at or into it?

sakuraskies.bsky.social•82 days ago

Hey!!! might be able to find an affordable house there!

fedal11.bsky.social•82 days ago

That's pretty amazing, hope it doesn't turn out to be a cosmic thumb over the telescope lens though.

shanethered194.bsky.social•82 days ago

Does Midnight Burger @midnightburger.bsky.social just get everything space related right?

skohayes.bsky.social•82 days ago

We know what it is, Phil (glad to find you here!!)...

jjjessee.bsky.social•82 days ago

There is no hole. It's all hole. Silly rabbit.

mhburke54.bsky.social•82 days ago

To quote my favorite science officer, "Fascinating."

deester69.bsky.social•82 days ago

Raising an eyebrow on this

fruitdurian.bsky.social•82 days ago

The picture that gets mislabeled as Boötes Void all the time.

easyhometheater.bsky.social•82 days ago

Never knew that

nicosis4u.bsky.social•82 days ago

Interesting, thx!

forageur.bsky.social•82 days ago

Motees live in there ;-)

john-hattan.bsky.social•82 days ago

Unless they go Crazy Eddie.

konanmetalscholar.bsky.social•82 days ago

I hope for sweet Black metal

konanmetalscholar.bsky.social•82 days ago

podepom.bsky.social•82 days ago

It's a big dust cloud, right? Aren't we able to see through it using different wavelengths of light?
(I wanna see if I already knew the answer (if i did, that would make me smart))

rachelbc.bsky.social•81 days ago

When darkness doesn’t mean emptiness 🩶

linkbook.bsky.social•82 days ago

Whatever is there nothing would be able to survive, it must be a two huge black holes?

boypef.bsky.social•82 days ago

Is this a glimpse of the early universe, before reionisation?

camlovesbadpuns.bsky.social•82 days ago

Wasn't this how the giant paramecium showed up in the original Star Trek?

bridgetjboyle.bsky.social•82 days ago

ooo thanks for the pointer.

houfek.bsky.social•82 days ago

It's a civilization of Dyson spheres using dust as camouflage poised to invade Earth prove me wrong

imaloserdude.bsky.social•82 days ago

Interesting, very readable piece. Thanks for posting.

queenwaifu.bsky.social•82 days ago

Bloody Thargoids in there, I tell ya.

memedestruction.bsky.social•82 days ago

🔥

jeremiahseip.bsky.social•82 days ago

📌

evolvingmindsets.bsky.social•82 days ago

We love us a good science article!

paulblamire.bsky.social•82 days ago

How is it there manages to be nothing between us and it in over 500 light years of space? Perhaps shows the lack of depth in what we see out in space.

jeffwolverton.bsky.social•82 days ago

“How is”

Read the article and find out!

paulblamire.bsky.social•81 days ago

It's not discussed in any detail in the article, which only concerns itself with what is beyond the could, and that there can be large voids in space.

philplait.bsky.social•82 days ago

That's actually a bit weird. It's not small in angular size so you'd expect a star or two in between us. But nope.

paulblamire.bsky.social•82 days ago

Exactly! But while 500 light years sounds like a long way, compared to the billions of light years represented in that star field it's not that far.

bostonchattanooga.bsky.social•82 days ago

I didn't know dust could be so thickkkk. This was an excellent read during my lunch break. Why did I get emotional and optimistic at the end, though?

realmadmattz.bsky.social•82 days ago

That's where the dark side of the force resides.

theleaderspath.bsky.social•82 days ago

Great article @philplait.bsky.social.
I enjoyed reading Iran’s am fascinated with the universe.

nesce.bsky.social•82 days ago

My first thought was the Coalsack nebula we see next to the Southern Cross, but it's read about the dark stuff out there that's not boring old dust.
Also, a nice reminder of the scales involved in astrophysics :)

slayonslayer.bsky.social•82 days ago

puddin

marybethabate.bsky.social•82 days ago

Thanks for posting this. Great read, I learned something new today.

mrkoalabear.bsky.social•82 days ago

Wonderful to read and learn. Thank you Best X

katzenjammer1.bsky.social•82 days ago

Love it, great image too.

tmshannonauthor.com•82 days ago

Brilliant article

brightredfish.bsky.social•82 days ago

Barnard 68! is like Barnard 2.4800355424368305e+96.

naughtykyuubi69.bsky.social•82 days ago

twas a delightful read! Thank you for sharing!

el-enoc.bsky.social•82 days ago

Nothing… absolutely nothing

polarishouse.bsky.social•82 days ago

This is incredible. Thanks for writing and posting this article

sdn.bsky.social•82 days ago

Is it where the Sun don't shine?

craigbruce68.bsky.social•82 days ago

I y er eating article. Thank you!

ataleortwo.bsky.social•82 days ago

Is this like the cosmic version of being in a cafeteria and randomly everyone stops talking at once?

profplaysgames.bsky.social•82 days ago

Very cool! I learned something new today. Thank you!

superbae.bsky.social•82 days ago

Wonderful read. Thank you!

62caprice.bsky.social•82 days ago

Very cool!

new-oddity.bsky.social•82 days ago

maybe is full of nightmares far beyond our human comprehension!

deserthermit.bsky.social•82 days ago

OK, I'LL DUST.

izifizi.bsky.social•82 days ago

📌

froznshade.bsky.social•82 days ago

philobotomy.bsky.social•82 days ago

answer: right wing extremists

smith.box•82 days ago

Interesting

sophichg.bsky.social•82 days ago

Azathoth

chrisperillo84.bsky.social•82 days ago

Matt Gaetz’s search history is a close second

alleygatorz.bsky.social•82 days ago

hsrivney.bsky.social•82 days ago

Thank you for sharing! What an honor!

dailyspark.bsky.social•77 days ago

https://www.gofundme.com/f/spjhb-support-our-dogs-urgent-medical-treatment?utm_campaign=fp_sharesheet&utm_medium=customer&utm_source=native_options&attribution_id=sl%3Ac7c516ff-544f-4005-a9be-64a84fb08bca

thegrumpyoldfart.bsky.social•82 days ago

Dude, c'mon. It's gotta be Bok Knots or nothing...

dstamos-jetdriver.bsky.social•82 days ago

granny06.bsky.social•82 days ago

Thank you for sharing. I love the visual artistry and ponder the deeper meaning of time and space. My simple mind can barely register how profound all this is.

samkeayes.bsky.social•82 days ago

Super interesting. Thanks for sharing.

dishonorstudent.bsky.social•82 days ago

Hactar and Krikkit.

ashishagl.bsky.social•82 days ago

Wow, amazing!!

flint-read.bsky.social•82 days ago

Is that also called the coalsack nebula?

philplait.bsky.social•82 days ago

No, the Coal Sack is a much bigger cloud in the southern part of the sky

jiraffe.bsky.social•82 days ago

"Bok globules can still make stars,..."

What would it be like, if possible, to be living on an Earth-like planet around a Sol-like star deep within a huge Bok globule? Ancient creatures would see nothing in the night sky by blackness. At least until they developed IR-telescopes.

chuckmccullagh.bsky.social•82 days ago

Thanks. A lovely celestial break.

commentsonly.bsky.social•82 days ago

that looks a lot like a hole in space. but it isnt

nicofio88.bsky.social•82 days ago

Great read , thanks

entropicmind.bsky.social•81 days ago

Now this is a proper article @philplait.bsky.social, great read! If an article about interstellar space manages to send me into a mini-existential crisis by the conclusion, 👏!

entropicmind.bsky.social•81 days ago

anndemforlife.bsky.social•82 days ago

And thank you for including the link.

kilroi22.bsky.social•82 days ago

Great article and image. The Iris Nebula shows a good contrast between a dark nebula and emptier space. In my image the dark "window" on the right shows the stars on the other side while the other dark areas completely block the starlight. #astrophotography

deviled-meg.bsky.social•82 days ago

ryanwright.bsky.social•82 days ago

I enjoyed that article. Thanks!

robbthetourist.bsky.social•82 days ago

Nice! Just when you think you know everything, something new pops up

whatzupdoc.bsky.social•82 days ago

I remember reading the WaPost (hardcopy 1977) & saw my 1st black hole article. I have the image of pg in my head. The image is really neat (and thanks for adding the article about how carbon makes up a lot of it) and it doesn't look like a black hole to me but rather just empty space which it isn't.