Deep-sky object · Orion

The Horsehead Nebula

One of the most recognisable dark nebulae in the sky — a column of cold, dusty gas in the Orion molecular cloud, about 1,500 light-years away, shaped by radiation into the silhouette of a horse's head. Catalogued as Barnard 33, it is seen against the soft red glow of the emission nebula IC 434 behind it, in the constellation Orion just south of the belt star Alnitak.

Highlights

›A dark dust column shaped like a horse's head, against IC 434

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Dark Nebula

Knowledge connections

Associated withDark Nebula
Associated withDark Nebula
Associated withBarnard Catalogue of Dark Nebulae
Associated withFlame Nebula
Associated withOrion
Associated withMolecular Clouds

Sources

Facts on this topic will be cited from these primary and reference sources.

NASANational Aeronautics and Space Administration
Mission data, planetary science, space telescopes, and public-domain imagery.
Most NASA-produced imagery is in the public domain; individual items are checked for usage terms before publication.

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The Horsehead Nebula

Highlights

Examples & related concepts

Across the encyclopedia

Knowledge connections

Sources

The Horsehead Nebula

Highlights

Examples & related concepts

Across the encyclopedia

Knowledge connections

Sources