Sandqvist 149 - NGC 4372

Sandqvist 149 or The Dark Doodad Nebula is a dark nebula close to the southern celestial pole in the Musca constellation. 

The massive, ribbon-like dark cloud stretches over 30 light-years and is part of the Musca-Chamaeleon molecular cloud complex. This cloud complex, composed of gas and dust, obscuring visible light from objects behind it, is believed to be a few hundred light-years from Earth and is one of the closest star-forming regions to our solar system. 

On the right side of the image, the old globular cluster NGC 4372 can be seen, seemingly embedded in the dark cloud’s dust. In reality, however, it is a more distant cluster located about 19,000 light-years away, shining through the thin veil of dust.

The bright blue star in the lower part of the image, which illuminates the surrounding dust cloud, is Gamma Muscae — a 3.87 magnitude star located 325 light-years from our Sun.

This dark nebula was recorded in 1977 by astronomer Aage Sandqvist of the Stockholm Observatory as part of the Sandqvist catalog of dark nebulae, which organizes dark clouds found in the southern hemisphere of the sky.