Title: Dark Nebula Barnard 68: Not the Empty Void It’s Made Out to Be
Date: August 2022
In a recent internet rumor, Barnard 68, a dark nebula in space, has been falsely portrayed as an empty void that would take over 752 million years to traverse. However, the reality behind this misinterpretation is far from the truth.
Captured back in March 1999, the European Southern Observatory’s (ESO) Very Large Telescope managed to produce a real image of Barnard 68, revealing its proximity to our solar system, just 400 light-years away. Although the dark nebula appears devoid of stars when observed through visible light, an explanation by ESO sheds light on the phenomenon, stating that “at these wavelengths, the small cloud is completely opaque because of the obscuring effect of dust particles in its interior.”
A different story unfolds when Barnard 68 is viewed using infrared imaging. Infrared composite images reveal a host of stars hiding within the molecular cloud. Francesca Benson of IFLScience rightfully compared dismissing Barnard 68 as a void in space due to its limited visibility to claiming the non-existence of the Sun on a cloudy day.
While Barnard 68 may not be the extraordinary void it was made out to be, there are other mysteries lurking in the vastness of space. One such enigma is the Boötes Void, also known as the Great Nothing. This bona fide area of space contains fewer galaxies than expected, spanning an impressive 250 to 330 million light-years across. To put its size into perspective, the void constitutes just 2 percent of the observable universe’s diameter.
The discovery of the Boötes Void dates back to 1981, when astronomers conducting a redshift survey of galaxies stumbled upon an unprecedented observation. In a paper titled “A million cubic megaparsec void in Boötes?,” they noted the remarkable absence of galaxies within the region. Over time, astronomers managed to identify around 60 galaxies within the void, a significantly lower number than the estimated 2,000 galaxies expected in such an area.
Although the formation of the Boötes Void remains a mystery, astronomers have proposed that it may have resulted from the merging of smaller voids. The void’s existence challenges our understanding of galaxy formation and offers a unique perspective on how individuals within the void would perceive the universe.
Astronomer Greg Aldering emphasizes the significance of the Boötes Void, stating, “If the Milky Way had been in the center of the Boötes void, we wouldn’t have known there were other galaxies until the 1960s.”
While Barnard 68 may not live up to its portrayal as an empty void, the cosmic wonders presented by the Boötes Void demonstrate that the universe still holds countless mysteries waiting to be unraveled.
Note: This article was originally published in August 2022.