There is a giant bat signal in the sky to mark Halloween (we are not kidding) |

Somewhere between the constellations Circinus and Norma — about 10,000 light-years from our comfortably oxygenated rock — the universe decided to have a bit of Halloween fun. Astronomers at the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have captured what looks like a cosmic bat, wings outstretched, gliding through interstellar darkness. And before Gotham’s conspiracy theorists start calling Bruce Wayne, let’s be clear: this one’s made of hydrogen, dust, and pure astronomical coincidence.The image, released on October 31, was snapped by the 268-megapixel Omegacam on ESO’s VLT Survey Telescope in Chile’s Atacama Desert. It shows vast red clouds of gas glowing eerily, sculpted by ultraviolet radiation from a cluster of newborn stars — the kind that think supernovae are a personality trait. These newborn stellar punks are so energetic they’ve set the surrounding hydrogen alight, illuminating what now looks uncannily like the silhouette of a giant bat spreading its wings across space.Threaded through the scene are dark filaments of interstellar dust — the cosmic cobwebs of the Milky Way — blocking the light from the nebula beyond. These dense streaks are the wombs of future stars, waiting to ignite and one day make their own glowing mess in the heavens. The human brain, wired to find faces in toast and meaning in chaos, can’t help but see a bat hunting some glowing prey in the upper corner of the frame.

The entire image spans an area equivalent to four full moons stitched together, which in cosmic terms is basically the selfie version of a landscape panorama. Astronomers combined visible and infrared filters to expose the nebula’s hidden layers, producing a view that’s equal parts science and cosmic art. It’s the sort of thing you might hang on your wall — if your walls could handle 10,000 light-years of perspective.Of course, the timing couldn’t be more cinematic. A glowing red bat appearing in the sky on Halloween? Somewhere, Christopher Nolan is probably pacing. The universe, it seems, has a sense of humour — and a taste for dramatic lighting.So no, Gotham isn’t calling. But if you look up at the night sky and think you see Batman’s signal, you’re not wrong. It’s just the cosmos — vast, ancient, and apparently in on the joke.Because even the universe is a Batman fan.