Isn’t this strange? (Astronomy Picture of the Day for 29/1/12.)

It’s a dark molecular cloud about 500 light years away. It’s dark because the dust and molecular gas it contains absorb nearly all the visible light which would otherwise shine through it.

Using improved infrared technology astronomers can now see through this.

Astronomy Picture of the Day for 15/1/12, this is the Large Magellanic Cloud seen in the infrared region of the electromagnetic spectrum.

It looks like a burning gas.