HorseHead Nebula

What is an Nebulae

Topic 1

A nebula is made up of a cloud of gas and dust that are deadly if consumed there is death, and is visible in the night sky.Nebulae, nebulæ, or nebulas) is an interstellar cloud of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases. Originally, the term was used to describe any diffuse astronomical object, including galaxies beyond the Milky Way. ... Nebulae are often star-forming regions, such as in the "Pillars of Creation" in the Eagle Nebula.

Some Things you Didn't Know

Topic 6

Only by chance does the nebula roughly resemble the head of a horse. Its unusual shape was first discovered on a photographic plate in the late 1800s. Located in the constellation Orion, the Horsehead is a cousin of the famous pillars of dust and gas known as the Eagle nebula. Both tower-like nebulas are cocoons of young stars.

The Horsehead nebula lies just south of the bright star Zeta Orionis, which is easily visible to the unaided eye as the left-hand star in the line of three that form Orion's Belt. Amateur astronomers often use the Horsehead as a test of their observing skills; it is known as one of the more difficult objects to see visually in an amateur-sized telescope.

The magnificent extent of the Horsehead is best appreciated in a new wide-field image of the nebula being released today by the National Optical Astronomy Observatory, taken by Travis Rector with the National Science Foundation's 0.9 meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory near Tucson, AZ.

Topic 6

The Horsehead is superposed on a ridge of bright hydrogen gas, usually seen as a reddish-pink glowing sheet. Because the Horsehead is choked with dust, it’s opaque, and blocks the light from behind it. We see it in silhouette, dark against a bright background.

But the Hubble image is in the infrared. That light, just outside of what our eyes can see, is better able to pierce through the dust. In the Hubble image we’re seeing more deeply into the Horsehead, seeing detail inside the cloud.

Topic 6

This popular celestial target was the clear winner among more than 5,000 Internet voters, who were asked last year to select an astronomical target for the Hubble telescope to observe. The voters included students, teachers, and professional and amateur astronomers. This picture to the left is a picture from 1999 taken by the Hubble Space Telescope. The picture to the right is a picture from

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Topic 6

The Horsehead itself is the site of ongoing star formation. The dense gas and dust inside the nebula is collapsing to form stars, and, at the same time, the edges are being eroded away by the fierce ultraviolet light of Sigma Orionis. The top of the Horsehead is acting a bit like a shield, protecting the material beneath it, which is why it’s taken on that umbrella-like shape. You can see more sculpted pillars of material around the sides, too, like sandbars in a stream. That’s pretty typical in situations like this.

So the Horsehead is getting blasted from above by Sigma Orionis, which is slowly dissolving away the nebula. Eventually it will disappear, but that will take a few million years

Rising from a sea of dust and gas like a giant seahorse, the Horsehead nebula is one of the most photographed objects in the sky. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took a close-up look at this heavenly icon, revealing the cloud's intricate structure. This detailed view of the horse's head is being released to celebrate the orbiting observatory's eleventh anniversary. Produced by the Hubble Heritage Project, this picture is a testament to the Horsehead's popularity. Internet voters selected this object for the orbiting telescope to view.

Topic 6

Rising from a sea of dust and gas like a giant seahorse, the Horsehead nebula is one of the most photographed objects in the sky. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took a close-up look at this heavenly icon, revealing the cloud's intricate structure. This detailed view of the horse's head is being released to celebrate the orbiting observatory's eleventh anniversary. Produced by the Hubble Heritage Project, this picture is a testament to the Horsehead's popularity. Internet voters selected this object for the orbiting telescope to view.vRising from a sea of dust and gas like a giant seahorse, the Horsehead nebula is one of the most photographed objects in the sky. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took a close-up look at this heavenly icon, revealing the cloud's intricate structure. This detailed view of the horse's head is being released to celebrate the orbiting observatory's eleventh anniversary. Produced by the Hubble Heritage Project, this picture is a testament to the Horsehead's popularity. Internet voters selected this object for the orbiting telescope to view.

Rising from a sea of dust and gas like a giant seahorse, the Horsehead nebula is one of the most photographed objects in the sky. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took a close-up look at this heavenly icon, revealing the cloud's intricate structure. This detailed view of the horse's head is being released to celebrate the orbiting observatory's eleventh anniversary. Produced by the Hubble Heritage Project, this picture is a testament to the Horsehead's popularity. Internet voters selected this object for the orbiting telescope to view.

Rising from a sea of dust and gas like a giant seahorse, the Horsehead nebula is one of the most photographed objects in the sky. NASA's Hubble Space Telescope took a close-up look at this heavenly icon, revealing the cloud's intricate structure. This detailed view of the horse's head is being released to celebrate the orbiting observatory's eleventh anniversary. Produced by the Hubble Heritage Project, this picture is a testament to the Horsehead's popularity. Internet voters selected this object for the orbiting telescope to view.Of course this isn't one of the latest pictures dropped .Actually the latest picture dropped by NASA was shown bto the plubic April

Discovery

Although most people know the distinctive clod of gas ,Horsehead nebula , it's official name Barnard 33 or B 33 It was first imaged at Harvard College Observatory in 1888 on photographic plates.

Frustrated with his male assistants, astronomy professor Edward Pickering famously claimed that his maid could do a better job of identifying and cataloging the extensive collection of images taken at the observatory. He hired his maid, Williamina Fleming, along with several other women, who became known as "computers." Fleming proved Pickering's point. In addition to discovering the Horsehead Nebula, Fleming discovered 58 other gaseous nebulae, 10 novae, and more than 300 variable stars. She eventually became the first American woman to be elected an honorary member of the Royal Astronomical Society of London

Topic 2

Close to the end

The Horsehead, also known as Barnard 33, is a cold, dark cloud of gas and dust, silhouetted against the bright nebula, IC 434. The bright area at the top left edge is a young star still embedded in its nursery of gas and dust. But radiation from this hot star is eroding the stellar nursery. The top of the nebula also is being sculpted by radiation from a massive star located out of Hubble's field of view.

Topic 6

Topic 9

Eventually it will disappear, but that will take a few million years. And left behind in its passing will be a set of new, young stars, shining brightly, their light free to cross the cosmos.

It’s all part of the natural cycle of the Universe: Structures come and go, sprawling clouds of gas and dust spawn stars from their own material that will take their place and eventually destroy them … but many of those stars will eventually explode and seed space with the elements and conditions that will help create the next generation of stars. We literally owe our existence to some long-gone nebula like the Horsehead, and to the stars that existed even before it.

So appreciate the beauty of the Horsehead while it’s here, and its necessity when it’s gone.

Closing

The red colour originates from hydrogen gas predominantly behind the nebula, ionized by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis. Magnetic fields channel the gases leaving the nebula into streams, shown as streaks in the background glow.[4] A glowing strip of hydrogen gas marks the edge of the massive cloud, and the densities of nearby stars are noticeably different on either side.

The heavy concentrations of dust in the Horsehead Nebula region and neighbouring Orion Nebula are localized, resulting in alternating sections of nearly complete opacity and transparency.[5] The darkness of the Horsehead is caused mostly by thick dust blocking the light of stars behind it.[6] The lower part of the Horsehead's neck casts a shadow to the left.[7] The visible dark nebula emerging from the gaseous complex is an active site of the formation of "low-mass" stars. Bright spots in the Horsehead Nebula's base are young stars just in the process of forming.vThe red colour originates from hydrogen gas predominantly behind the nebula, ionized by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis. Magnetic fields channel the gases leaving the nebula into streams, shown as streaks in the background glow.[4] A glowing strip of hydrogen gas marks the edge of the massive cloud, and the densities of nearby stars are noticeably different on either side.

The heavy concentrations of dust in the Horsehead Nebula region and neighbouring Orion Nebula are localized, resulting in alternating sections of nearly complete opacity and transparency.[5] The darkness of the Horsehead is caused mostly by thick dust blocking the light of stars behind it.[6] The lower part of the Horsehead's neck casts a shadow to the left.[7] The visible dark nebula emerging from the gaseous complex is an active site of the formation of "low-mass" stars. Bright spots in the Horsehead Nebula's base are young stars just in the process of forming.