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Astronomy: Horsehead Nebula in Orion
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The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most famous nebulae in the sky. It's famous because of the dark horsehead shape, in the picture located to the right. The bright star on the left is located in the belt of the familiar constellation of Orion. The horse-head feature is dark because it is really an opaque dust cloud which lies in front of the bright red emission nebula. Like clouds in Earth's atmosphere, this cosmic cloud has assumed a recognizable shape by chance. In the future after many thousands of years, the internal motions of the cloud will alter its appearance. The emission nebula's red color is caused by electrons recombining with protons to form hydrogen atoms. Also visible in the picture are blue reflection nebulae, which reflect the blue light from nearby young stars. Related subjects>> What is a nebula?>> Formation of planets in the Orion nebula >> The Eagle nebula >> The Crab nebula >> The Andromeda nebula >> The Sombrero nebula >> The Tarantula nebula |
 The Horsehead Nebula in the Orion Nebula. < JPG image 640 X 480 pixels > |