Horsehead & Flame

Object Type: Emission Nebula
Scope: Orion APO 80mm; Exposure 110 minutes.

The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) is a dark nebula in Orion, silhouetted against the glowing emission nebula IC 434 just south of the belt star Alnitak; this frame also captures the nearby Flame Nebula (NGC 2024). The Horsehead's distinctive shape was first noted by Williamina Fleming on a Harvard photographic plate in 1888. It lies about 1,375 light-years away. The red backdrop is hydrogen gas ionized by the bright star Sigma Orionis, while the dark horse-head itself is thick, cold dust; new stars are forming within its base. In November 2023 ESA's Euclid telescope captured a remarkably wide, sharp view of the region, and in April 2024 the James Webb Space Telescope imaged the top of the "mane" in extraordinary infrared detail.