An immense and brilliant redsupergiant, some nine hundred times the diameter of the Sun, Antares is approaching the end of its life and is expected to erupt as a supernova at some time within the next million years.
The red light of Antares shines through clouds of dust and gas extending southward from the extensive Rho Ophiuchi Cloud Complex. This particular part of the complex, for obvious reasons, is given the common name of the Antares Nebula, and is also sometimes known as the Cloud Nebula. Imagery provided by Aladin sky atlas
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