Seahorse Nebula metal plaque

The space between the stars isn't quite empty. Dark, cold clouds of gas and dust can obscure and absorb more distant starlight; we call these "dark nebulae". 

In this enthralling image from the constellation Cepheus, we see the Seahorse Nebula arcing amidst rich background starfields. At the top left of the frame, the Fireworks Galaxy is 2000 times more distant at an estimated 25 million light years from Earth. 

This imaged was captured under dark skies on Wasauksing First Nation territory near Parry Sound, Ontario. I shot 10.5 hours of exposures through a William Optics refracting telescope.