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.
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 4:42 am
by Case
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.
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:44 am
by meinhoff
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..?
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:22 am
by fausto.lubatti
An image with incredibile details!
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:16 am
by Markus Schwarz
Can someone tell me the size of the Horsehead Nebula?
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:44 am
by SouthEastAsia
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!
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 10:03 am
by userloser
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...
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 10:53 am
by ta152h0
What is it Hubble has to do to get an image like this ?
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 11:31 am
by orin stepanek
I like it! Reminds me of an old saying! "That's a horse of a different color!"
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:01 pm
by tedrey
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.
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:43 pm
by neufer
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.
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:43 pm
by geckzilla
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.
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:52 pm
by stephen63
ta152h0 wrote:What is it Hubble has to do to get an image like this ?
This is the optical path.
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 12:56 pm
by neufer
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.
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:35 pm
by Psnarf
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.)
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 1:55 pm
by josimac
Simply amazing! Wonderful details! Especially all of the background galaxies above the "horse head"!
Thank you for sharing!!
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:02 pm
by emc
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.
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:18 pm
by ta152h0
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 ?
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:33 pm
by geckzilla
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 ?
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:37 pm
by Boomer12k
What a great shot...awesome detail...thanks Hubble...
Oh, hey, I got promoted to Commander...GREAT!!!
:---[===] *
Re: APOD: The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared... (2013 Apr 22)
Posted: Mon Apr 22, 2013 3:39 pm
by neufer
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 ?
The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared from Hubble
Reminds me of an old saying! "That's a horse of a different color!" 
