Galactic Clouds

In a dark clear night you can see our home galaxy the milkyway in the sky. You can notice that there are parts obscured as there would be clouds blocking the light of the stars behind. This are actually giant clouds of interstellar gas and warm dust called infrared cirrus. They can be found in almost every direction of space, absorbing and scattering optical light. That’s why from Earth we can’t see the 10 million suns bright center of the galaxy.

The gas is mostly hydrogen and helium- the most abundant elements in the Universe.
The dust grains were probably released by stars that ended their lives as supernova explosions spreaded by stellar wind.

more info by R. Jay GaBany at:
Dusty Veils of the Wilky Way
Stellar Cauldrons

Full Sky Texture of The Milky Way galaxy as seen in Earth’s sky at visible spectrum. Complete celestial sphere with the Milky Way as central line. The final panoramic image condenses 120 hours of observations from the ESO observatories at La Silla and Paranal in Chile.