The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared from Hubble
Explanation:
While drifting through the cosmos,
a magnificent interstellar dust cloud became sculpted by
stellar winds and radiation to assume a
recognizable shape.
Fittingly named the
Horsehead Nebula, it is embedded in the vast and complex Orion Nebula (M42).
A potentially rewarding but difficult object to
view personally
with a small telescope, the
above gorgeously detailed image was
recently taken in
infrared light by the orbiting
Hubble Space Telescope
in honor of the 23rd anniversary of
Hubble's launch.
The
dark molecular cloud, roughly 1,500
light years distant, is cataloged as Barnard 33 and is seen above primarily
because it is backlit by the nearby massive star
Sigma Orionis.
The
Horsehead Nebula will slowly shift its
apparent shape over the next few million years and will eventually be destroyed by
the
high energy starlight.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
