APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Comments and questions about the APOD on the main view screen.
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APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by APOD Robot » Mon Apr 22, 2013 4:10 am

Image The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared from Hubble

Explanation: While drifting through the cosmos, a magnificent interstellar dust cloud became sculpted by stellar winds and radiation to assume a recognizable shape. Fittingly named the Horsehead Nebula, it is embedded in the vast and complex Orion Nebula (M42). A potentially rewarding but difficult object to view personally with a small telescope, the above gorgeously detailed image was recently taken in infrared light by the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope in honor of the 23rd anniversary of Hubble's launch. The dark molecular cloud, roughly 1,500 light years distant, is cataloged as Barnard 33 and is seen above primarily because it is backlit by the nearby massive star Sigma Orionis. The Horsehead Nebula will slowly shift its apparent shape over the next few million years and will eventually be destroyed by the high energy starlight.

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by WJShaheen » Mon Apr 22, 2013 4:17 am

It is a surprise to me that the Horsehead Nebula is embedded within the Orion Nebula (M42). Is this correct?
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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by bystander » Mon Apr 22, 2013 4:35 am

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by Case » Mon Apr 22, 2013 4:42 am

WJShaheen wrote:It is a surprise to me that the Horsehead Nebula is embedded within the Orion Nebula (M42). Is this correct?
Maybe the writer meant to write “Orion Molecular Cloud Complex”? That would make more sense than mixing up M42 and IC 434, although the latter would be more precise.

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by meinhoff » Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:44 am

incredible detail. hubble is demonstrating astonishing clarity and texture. the orion nebula, ofcourse, is cited in ancient text as man's origin. other sources mention the pleiades star cluster as man's ancient home. there are stories about a home world known as lyra. could the hubble heritage team image the pleiades field for earth-like planets..?

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by fausto.lubatti » Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:22 am

An image with incredibile details!

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by Markus Schwarz » Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:16 am

Can someone tell me the size of the Horsehead Nebula?

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by SouthEastAsia » Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:44 am

On a scale of 1 to 10, I give this APOD a 9.85... Truly magnificent.

This detail should be the bar from now on, being released by NASA/ESA!

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by userloser » Mon Apr 22, 2013 10:03 am

Yet another childhood image destroyed by high definition. Looks nothing like a horsehead, and none of the old pictures will look like one anymore. The price of progress... :(

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by ta152h0 » Mon Apr 22, 2013 10:53 am

What is it Hubble has to do to get an image like this ?
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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by orin stepanek » Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:31 am

I like it! 8-) :D Reminds me of an old saying! "That's a horse of a different color!" :wink:
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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by tedrey » Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:01 pm

A moving visual extrapolation (to the best of our current knowledge) of the Horsehead Nebula over the past and future few million years might be highly worth watching. Hint to someone.

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by neufer » Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:43 pm

Click to play embedded YouTube video.
tedrey wrote:
A moving visual extrapolation (to the best of our current knowledge) of the Horsehead Nebula over the past and future few million years might be highly worth watching. Hint to someone.
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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by geckzilla » Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:43 pm

userloser wrote:Yet another childhood image destroyed by high definition. Looks nothing like a horsehead, and none of the old pictures will look like one anymore. The price of progress... :(
Actually, the familiar silhouette wasn't destroyed by high definition. By using infrared light, Hubble is able to see through certain parts of the nebula which are tenuous enough to let such light shine through. So we're able to see all of the hidden things behind (and within?) the horse's head.
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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by stephen63 » Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:52 pm

ta152h0 wrote:What is it Hubble has to do to get an image like this ?
This is the optical path.
opt_path.jpg

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by neufer » Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:56 pm

geckzilla wrote:
userloser wrote:
Yet another childhood image destroyed by high definition. Looks nothing like a horsehead, and none of the old pictures will look like one anymore. The price of progress... :(
Actually, the familiar silhouette wasn't destroyed by high definition. By using infrared light, Hubble is able to see through certain parts of the nebula which are tenuous enough to let such light shine through. So we're able to see all of the hidden things behind (and within?) the horse's head.
Image
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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by Psnarf » Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:35 pm

Happy Anniversary, Hubble! Kudos to all the unsung heroes who made that happen.
Awesome image.

The image of Barnard 33 in Dr. Neuendorffer's ESA lower right image does resemble a sea and/or land horse. However the Hubble Anniversary shot looks more like some kind of monster with wing-like ears, its mouth open displaying its two teeth.

(Good thing our ancient ancestors gave us the power to imagine shapes where there are none, if not just to escape being eaten by tigers lurking in the underbrush, much like Opus and Bill T. Cat laying in a field seeing patterns in cumulus clouds floating by, or Linus describing to Peanuts the intricate details of the Peloponnesian War that he sees in a similar cloud.)

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by josimac » Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:55 pm

Simply amazing! Wonderful details! Especially all of the background galaxies above the "horse head"!

Thank you for sharing!!

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by emc » Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:02 pm

Beautiful IR detail of one of my favorite space objects. I still see the horse head and wonder at the "gaseous" detail.

Contrasting tail of recognition… I was driving the other day and thought I saw one of my neighbors walking down the street so I commenced to blow my horn and wave only to discover it was an alarmed/annoyed complete stranger.
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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by ta152h0 » Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:18 pm

Horses and gas go together so well, and obviously very photogenic. And as far as Hubble taking the image, what I meant is how does Hubble maintaing the aiming point so steady an image like this becomes possible ?
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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by geckzilla » Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:33 pm

ta152h0 wrote:Horses and gas go together so well, and obviously very photogenic. And as far as Hubble taking the image, what I meant is how does Hubble maintaing the aiming point so steady an image like this becomes possible ?
Guide stars.
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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by Boomer12k » Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:37 pm

What a great shot...awesome detail...thanks Hubble...

Oh, hey, I got promoted to Commander...GREAT!!!

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by neufer » Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:39 pm

ta152h0 wrote:
Horses and gas go together so well, and obviously very photogenic. And as far as Hubble taking the image, what I meant is how does Hubble maintaing the aiming point so steady an image like this becomes possible ?
http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/nut ... nting2.php
http://hubblesite.org/the_telescope/nut ... /pointing/
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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by Boomer12k » Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:42 pm

SPOCK: Captain, I am detecting a horsehead shaped object dead ahead...

Captain Kirk: Sulu....Dead....slow....must....in...vesti...gate....ob...ject....

Sulu, (rolling his eyes): Aye, Captain.....Dead slow....(sigh)....

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Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)

Post by LocalColor » Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:46 pm

Quote: "Horses and gas go together so well" - yup horses emit a lot of gas!

Lovely image and so happy that Hubble is still going after all these years.

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