Barnard 44, the Dark River, in the center of this frame, is a large dark nebula in Ophiuchus that stretches 10 degrees from the Antares / Rho Ophiuchi nebulae complex to the east, all the way to the Pipe Nebula. It is 500 light-years away from us.

Antares, a red supergiant star at the heart of Scorpius on the right side of the frame, illuminates a rare yellow/red reflection nebula. Normally reflection nebulae are blue, like the one surrounding Rho Ophiuchi above Antares. Antares lies 600 light-years away and has a diameter of 400 times that of the Sun.

Ancient globular cluster M4 can also be seen in the frame, above and to the right of Antares. It lies at a distance of 7,200 light-years.

E. E. Barnard listed the Dark River as Barnard 44 in his catalog of dark nebula in A Photographic Atlas of Selected Regions of the Milky Way, recording it on plate 13 and plate 14.

North is to the top right in the above image.

Barnard 44 Catalogs: B44 Common Name: The Dark River Object Type: Dark Nebulae Size: 10° x 2° Constellation: Scorpius - Ophiuchus Image Field Centered At: RA: 16h 40m 33s Dec: -24° 04' 25"