| The Dark Horse Nebula or Great Dark Horse is a large dark nebula, which   as seen from Earth, obscures part of the upper central bulge of the   Milky Way. The Dark Horse lies in the southern constellation Ophiuchus   (the Serpent Bearer), near its borders with the more famous   constellations Scorpius and Sagittarius. This region of dark nebulae is   called Dark Horse because it resembles the side silhouette of a horse   and appears dark as compared with the background glow of stars and star   clouds. It is also known as "Great" because it is one of the largest (in   apparent size) groups of dark nebulae in the sky. The rear of The Great   Dark Horse (its rump and hind legs), is also known as the Pipe Nebula,   which itself carries the designation B77, B78, and B59. (The 'B' numbers   named after the astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard, who catalogued dark   nebulae.) The Snake Nebula extends from the Dark Horse to the Rho   Ophiuchus nebulosity. The ability to see The Great Dark Horse with the   naked eyes is an indication that the skies are very dark, i.e. not   affected by (urban and industrial) light pollution. |