A cosmic dust cloud sprawls across a rich field of stars in this gorgeous wide field telescopic vista [ http://www.starrysc…ngc6726_wide.html ] looking toward Corona Australis [ http://www.botprodu…corona_australis.htm l ], the Southern Crown. Probably less than 500 light-years away and effectively blocking light [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] from more distant, background stars in the Milky Way [ http://members.nova…], the densest part of the dust cloud is about 8 light-years long. At its tip (lower left) is a series of lovely blue nebulae cataloged as NGC 6726, 6727, 6729 [ http://www.aao.gov.…aat073.html ], and IC [ http://www.ngcic.or…] 4812. Their characteristic blue color is produced as light from hot stars is reflected by [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] the cosmic dust. The tiny but intriguing yellowish arc visible near the blue nebulae marks young [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] variable star R Coronae Australis [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…]. Magnificent globular star cluster [ http://antwrp.gsfc.…] NGC 6723 is seen here below and left of the nebulae. While NGC 6723 appears [ http://www.seds.org…MWGC/n6723.html ] to be just outside Corona Australis in the constellation Sagittarius, it actually lies nearly 30,000 light-years away, far beyond the Corona Australis dust cloud.