View source for Pipe Nebula

The [[Pipe Nebula]] (also known as Barnard 59, 65–67, and 78) is a dark nebula in the [[Ophiuchus]] constellation and a part of the Dark Horse Nebula. It is a large but readily apparent smoking pipe-shaped dust lane that obscures the Milky Way star clouds behind it. Clearly visible to the naked eye in the Southern United States under clear dark skies.

Its extensive ring shape and its location between Hercules and [[Scorpius]] make the constellation [[Ophiuchus]] difficult to find. The band of the summer Milky Way runs through its western part, and in the southern part there is a stellar nursery with many nebulae.<ref>[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pipe_Nebula wiki]</ref>

==A nebula of black dust plumes==
The Pipe Nebula is one of the most impressive dark nebulae in Ophiuchus. It's named after its plumes of black dust, which look like a smoking pipe. It consists of several dark nebulae with catalogue numbers Barnard 59/65–67/77–78. Numerous dark nebulae are named after the American astronomer Edward Emerson Barnard, because he was the first to thoroughly document this class of objects.

Many dark nebulae are accessible with the simplest optical means such as the naked eye or binoculars. However, dark nebulae place high demands on sky conditions and optics. A good view of the sky with a high limiting magnitude, an optic with maximum exit pupil, and the largest possible field of view are desirable. <ref>[https://www.astroshop.eu/magazine/practical-tips/observation/deep-sky-from-the-countryside/the-pipe-nebula/i,1321 Pipe Nebula]</ref>