{"id":255166,"date":"2025-11-01T09:41:13","date_gmt":"2025-11-01T09:41:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/255166\/"},"modified":"2025-11-01T09:41:13","modified_gmt":"2025-11-01T09:41:13","slug":"astronomers-capture-vast-cosmic-bat-spreading-its-wings-in-time-for-halloween-photo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/255166\/","title":{"rendered":"Astronomers capture vast cosmic bat spreading its wings in time for Halloween (photo)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/STUYgv9bqDTLHfkuVmxvC6.jpg\" alt=\"A deep space scene is pictured featuring glowing red nebula clouds that form the outline of a bat's body and wings, threaded with dark filaments of interstellar gas against a teeming starfield.\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/STUYgv9bqDTLHfkuVmxvC6.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/STUYgv9bqDTLHfkuVmxvC6.jpg\" class=\"expandable\"\/><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/STUYgv9bqDTLHfkuVmxvC6.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"expand-button icon-expand-image icon\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/STUYgv9bqDTLHfkuVmxvC6.jpg\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<p>The outline of a nebula bat formed from glowing interstellar clouds (Image credit: ESO\/Digitized Sky Survey 2)<\/p>\n<p id=\"2713dd86-7576-4b35-b504-29de3250ff61\">Astronomers have captured the glowing &#8220;wings&#8221; of a vast nebula shaped like a bat, unfurling in deep space about 10,000 light-years from Earth in the constellations Circinus and Norma, just in time for Halloween!<\/p>\n<p class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\">The nebula&#8217;s haunting outline t is carved from swirling clouds of gas and dust inside a vast stellar nursery. These clouds glow as hydrogen <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/atoms-definition-history-facts\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/atoms-definition-history-facts\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">atoms<\/a> within them are energized by intense radiation pouring from the energetic population of young <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/57-stars-formation-classification-and-constellations.html\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/57-stars-formation-classification-and-constellations.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">stars<\/a> embedded within.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\" class=\"paywall\" aria-hidden=\"true\" href=\"\" data-url=\"\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"2713dd86-7576-4b35-b504-29de3250ff61-2\">Dark filaments of interstellar dust thread through the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/nebula-definition-types\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/nebula-definition-types\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">nebula<\/a> scene, can be seen blocking the light of the nebula clouds beyond. These twisting giants are rich with star-forming material from which a new generation of stellar behemoths will be born. Our brain&#8217;s natural propensity for creating order out of chaos causes some to interpret the scene as a colossal bat hunting the scrap of shining nebula visible at the top of the image.<\/p>\n<p>You may like<\/p>\n<p id=\"67cf3be7-cb8e-42a5-a3c1-e688e3b36fda\">The striking deep space collage \u2014 spanning the equivalent of four full moons in the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/16149-night-sky.html\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/16149-night-sky.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">night sky<\/a> \u2014 was captured using the 268-megapixel Omegacam instrument mounted on the 2.6-meter VLT Survey Telescope at the European Southern Observatory&#8217;s Paranal site in Chile&#8217;s Atacama Desert.<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/q8TBypCp6BaBhv9LMZRjT6.jpg\" alt=\"A deep space scene is pictured featuring glowing red nebula clouds that form the outline of a bat's body and wings, threaded with dark filaments of interstellar gas against a teeming starfield.\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/q8TBypCp6BaBhv9LMZRjT6.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/q8TBypCp6BaBhv9LMZRjT6.jpg\" class=\"expandable\"\/><br \/>\n<a href=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/q8TBypCp6BaBhv9LMZRjT6.jpg\" target=\"_blank\" class=\"expand-button icon-expand-image icon\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/q8TBypCp6BaBhv9LMZRjT6.jpg\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\"><\/p>\n<p>A widefield view of the nebula bat hunting the southern skies. (Image credit: ESO\/Digitized Sky Survey 2)<\/p>\n<p>Celestron NexStar 8SE<\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:56.25%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/onajYkhMdBFzBAJKyo4JpC.jpg\" alt=\"Celestron NexStar 8SE\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/onajYkhMdBFzBAJKyo4JpC.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/onajYkhMdBFzBAJKyo4JpC.jpg\" class=\"pinterest-pin-exclude\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Amazon)<\/p>\n<p class=\"fancy-box__body-text\">We reckon the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB000GUFOC8%2Fref%3Dasc_df_B000GUFOC81706720400000%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dspace-us-7835739098048633559-20\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"sponsored noopener nofollow\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/dp\/B000GUFOC8\/ref=asc_df_B000GUFOC81706720400000?th=1\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"hawklinks\" data-placeholder-url=\"https:\/\/target.georiot.com\/Proxy.ashx?tsid=72128&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Famazon.com%2Fdp%2FB000GUFOC8%2Fref%3Dasc_df_B000GUFOC81706720400000%3Fth%3D1%26tag%3Dhawk-future-20%26ascsubtag%3Dhawk-custom-tracking-20\" data-google-interstitial=\"false\" data-merchant-name=\"Amazon US\" data-merchant-id=\"1471\" data-merchant-network=\"Amazonus\" data-merchant-url=\"amazon.com\">Celestron NexStar 8SE<\/a> is the best motorized telescope out there as it&#8217;s great for astrophotography, deep-space observing and it offers stunning detailed imagery. It is a little pricey but for what you get, it&#8217;s good value. For a more detailed look, you can check out our <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/celestron-nexstar-8se-telescope-review\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/celestron-nexstar-8se-telescope-review\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Celestron NexStar 8SE review<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"bbb8005f-2621-49ee-ad28-b997f1e50b06\">Astronomers used a range of specialized filters to capture the ancient nebula&#8217;s light during a survey of the Milky Way&#8217;s galactic plane, which was then combined with infrared observations to highlight the region&#8217;s hidden structure.<\/p>\n<p>If you&#8217;re hoping to capture your own views of the night sky, check out our guides to the best cameras and lenses available in 2025. Wanting to upgrade your gear? Our roundups of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.space.com\/15693-telescopes-beginners-telescope-reviews-buying-guide.html\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">best telescopes<\/a> and binoculars for stargazing can help point you in the right direction.<\/p>\n<p>The ESO <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/news\/eso2518\/\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.eso.org\/public\/news\/eso2518\/\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">released the new photo<\/a> of the bat nebula on Oct. 31.<\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Breaking space news, the latest updates on rocket launches, skywatching events and more!<\/p>\n<p>Editor&#8217;s Note: If you would like to share your own deep space astrophotography with Space.com&#8217;s readers, then please send your photo(s), comments, and your name and location to spacephotos@space.com. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The outline of a nebula bat formed from glowing interstellar clouds (Image credit: ESO\/Digitized Sky Survey 2) Astronomers&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":255167,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[23],"tags":[64,63,128,285],"class_list":{"0":"post-255166","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-space","8":"tag-au","9":"tag-australia","10":"tag-science","11":"tag-space"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=255166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/255166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/255167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=255166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=255166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=255166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}