This was
your sky.

IC 4603: Reflection Nebula in Ophiuchius

This starfield photograph has an impressionistic quality, not from digital manipulation, but from vast amounts of interstellar dust. This dust, composed of minute, carbon-rich particles similar in size to cigarette smoke, originates in the outer atmospheres of large, cool, evolved stars. As these stars die, the dust disperses and grows by accretion in the interstellar medium. Dense dust clouds can completely block visible light, hiding background stars and creating these hazy effects.