APOD 2.2

This starry figure, in the constellation Cepheus, seems to be haunted by unknown shapes.  These shapes are cosmic dust clouds barely visible in dimly reflected starlight.  These are located at the edge of the Cepheus Flare, a molecular cloud complex, which is 1200 light-years away.  The molecular clouds of the Cepheus Flare are sites of low and intermediate mass star formation located between 200 and 450 pc from the Sun.  Over 2 light-years across the nebula, known as vdB 141 or Sh2-136, is near the center of the field.  The core of this dark cloud is collapsing on the right and is likely a binary star system in the early stages of formation.