Horsehead and Orion Nebulas
From NASA's Astronomy Picture of the Day
The dark Horsehead Nebula and
the glowing Orion Nebula are
contrasting cosmic vistas. Adrift 1,500 light-years away in one of the night sky's most
recognizable constellations,
they appear in opposite corners of the above stunning mosaic.
The familiar Horsehead nebula
appears as a dark cloud, a small silhouette notched against the long red glow
at the lower left.
Alnitakis
the easternmost star in Orion's
belt and is seen as the brightest star to the left of the Horsehead.
Below Alnitak is the Flame
Nebula, with clouds of bright emission and dramatic dark dust
lanes. The magnificent emission region, the Orion Nebula (aka
M42), lies at the upper right. Immediately to its left is a prominent reflection
nebula sometimes called the Running Man.
Image Credit & Copyright: Roberto Colombari & Federico Pelliccia
