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Astronomy Picture of the Day
The Horsehead Nebula
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#101080
by
[z]Barbara Harris
@
28.05.2007 00:00
- nach oben -
The Horsehead Nebula
Explanation:
One of the most identifiable nebulae in the sky,
the
Horsehead Nebula
in
Orion
, is part of a large, dark,
molecular cloud
.
Also known as
Barnard
33, the unusual shape was first
discovered
on a
photographic plate
in the late 1800s.
The red glow originates from
hydrogen
gas predominantly behind the nebula, ionized by the nearby bright star
Sigma Orionis
.
The darkness of the
Horsehead
is caused mostly by thick
dust
,
although the lower part of the
Horsehead
's neck casts a shadow to the left.
Streams of gas leaving the nebula are funneled by a strong
magnetic field
.
Bright spots in the
Horsehead Nebula
's base are
young stars just in the
process of forming
.
Light takes about 1500 years to reach us from the
Horsehead Nebula
.
The
above image
was taken with the
0.9-meter telescope
at
Kitt Peak National Observatory
.
Credit & Copyright