| Dark nebula | |
|---|---|
| diffuse | |
 The Horsehead Nebula | |
| Observation data: J2000.0 epoch | |
| Right ascension | 05h 40m 59.0s |
| Declination | −02° 27′ 30.0" |
| Distance | 1,375±54[1][note 1] ly (422±17[1] pc) |
| Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.8 |
| Apparent dimensions (V) | 8 × 6 arcmins |
| Constellation | Orion |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Radius | 3.5 ly |
| Designations | Barnard 33, LDN 1630, IC 434 |
The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33 or B33) is a small dark nebula in the constellation Orion.[2] The nebula is located just to the south of Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion's Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion molecular cloud complex. It appears within the southern region of the dense dust cloud known as Lynds 1630, along the edge of the much larger, active star-forming H II region called IC 434.[3]
The Horsehead Nebula is approximately 422 parsecs or 1,375 light-years from Earth.[1][3] It is one of the most identifiable nebulae because of its resemblance to a horse's head.[4]
Using NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, astronomers have captured the nebula's "mane" in unprecedented detail, revealing the complexity of the photodissociation region where ultraviolet light interacts with gas and dust.[5][6]
- ^ a b c Brown, A. G. A.; et al. (Gaia collaboration) (August 2018). "Gaia Data Release 2: Summary of the contents and survey properties". Astronomy & Astrophysics. 616. A1. arXiv:1804.09365. Bibcode:2018A&A...616A...1G. doi:10.1051/0004-6361/201833051.
- ^ Arnett, Bill (2000). "Horsehead Nebula". Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ^ a b "VLT Images the Horsehead Nebula". European Southern Observatory. 25 January 2002. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
- ^ Sharp, Nigel (2014). "The Horsehead Nebula". National Optical Astronomy Observatory. Association of Universities for Research in Astronomy. Archived from the original on March 13, 2020. Retrieved July 21, 2014.
- ^ "James Webb Telescope shares Remarkable Views of the Horsehead Nebula". www.jameswebbdiscovery.com. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
- ^ "Webb Captures Top of Iconic Horsehead Nebula in Unprecedented Detail - NASA Science". science.nasa.gov. Retrieved 2024-05-19.
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