Horsehead Nebula
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Horsehead Nebula | |
 |
|
| Observation data (Epoch J2000.0) | |
|---|---|
| Type | dark nebula/diffuse nebulae |
| Right ascension | 05h 40m 59.0s |
| Declination | −02° 27′ 30.0" |
| Distance | 1,500 ly |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | – |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 8 × 6 arcmins |
| Constellation | Orion |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | – |
| Absolute magnitude (V) | – |
| Notable features | – |
| Other designations | IC 434, Barnard 33, LDN 1630, M3T 31, [OS98] 52 |
| See also: Dark nebula, Lists of nebulae | |
The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33 in bright nebula IC 434) is a darkstar nebula in the Orion constellation. The nebula is located just below Alnitak, the star furthest left on Orion's Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. It is approximately 1500 light years from Earth. One of the most identifiable nebulae because it is so bright and hot in the sky, it is part of a swirling cloud of dark dust and gases, shaped like a horse's head (hence its name), but some people also believe it looks like a lion and its mane. The unusual shape was first discovered in 1888 by Williamina Fleming on photographic plate B2312 taken at the Harvard College Observatory.
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.
[edit] In fiction
[edit] External Links
- The Horsehead Nebula @ The Electronic Sky
- Hubble Observes the Horsehead Nebula
- The discovery of early photographs of the Horsehead nebula, by Waldee and Hazen
- The Horsehead Nebula in the 19th Century, by Waldee
- Detection of new nebulae by photography, by Pickering
- Looking into the Horsehead Nebula, by Pound, Reipurth, and Bally
- Horsehead Nebula at ESA/Hubble
- The Horsehead Nebula at the Astro-Photography site of Mr. T. Yoshida.
- The Horsehead Nebula on interactive astro-photography survey at Wikisky.org
- The Horsehead-Nebula imaged with a semiprofessional amateur-telescope
