Photo Agency - Astronomy - Space - Nature

> Horsehead nebula in Orion

Horsehead nebula in Orion

author: ESO/Novapix

reference: a-nec04-34006

Image Size 300 DPI: 16 * 16 cm

"Horsehead Nebula" is situated in the Orion molecular cloud complex. Its official name is Barnard 33 and it is a dust protrusion in the southern region of the dense dust cloud Lynds 1630, on the edge of the HII region IC 434. The distance to the region is about 1400 light-years (430 pc). This beautiful colour image was produced from three images obtained with the multi-mode FORS2 instrument at the second VLT Unit Telescope (KUEYEN) on february 1, 2000. The blue-green regions of the Horsehead Nebula correspond to regions not shadowed from the light from the stars in the H II region to the top of the picture and scatter stellar radiation towards the observer; these are thus `mountains' of dust.

Keywords for this photo:

2000 - ASTRONOMY - B33 - BARNARD 33 - DARK NEBULA - FORS2 - HORSEHEAD - KUEYEN - NEBULA - ORION - STAR - VERY LARGE TELESCOPE - VLT -