Explanation:
The dark Horsehead Nebula and the glowing
Orion Nebula are contrasting cosmic vistas.
Adrift 1,500 light-years away in one of
the night sky's
most recognizable
constellations,
they appear in opposite corners of the above
stunning mosaic.
The familiar Horsehead
nebula appears as a dark cloud, a small silhouette
notched against the long red glow at the lower left.
Alnitak is the easternmost star in
Orion's belt and is seen as the
brightest star to the left of the
Horsehead.
Below Alnitak is the
Flame Nebula, with clouds of
bright emission and
dramatic dark dust lanes.
The magnificent emission region, the
Orion Nebula (aka M42), lies at the upper right.
Immediately to its left is a prominent bluish
reflection nebula sometimes called the Running Man.
Pervasive tendrils
of glowing hydrogen gas are easily
traced
throughout the region.
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