Posted on 12/29/2022 1:53:59 PM PST by MtnClimber
Explanation: The Horsehead Nebula, famous celestial dark marking also known as Barnard 33, is notched against a background glow of emission nebulae in this sharp cosmic skyscape. About five light-years "tall" the Horsehead lies some 1,500 light-years away in the constellation of Orion. Within the region's fertile molecular cloud complex, the expanse of obscuring dust has a recognizable shape only by chance from our perspective in the Milky Way though. Orion's easternmost belt star, bright Alnitak, is to the left of center. Energetic ultraviolet light from Alnitak powers the glow of dusty NGC 2024, the Flame Nebula, just below it. Completing a study in cosmic contrasts, bluish reflection nebula NGC 2023 is below the Horsehead itself. This well-framed telescopic field spans about 3 full moons on the sky.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
Looks like a dragon head.
Like a horse that trans-specied into a dragon. And what are the pronouns?
That’s beautiful.
Looks like an Ape to me
I tried to see the Horsehead in our 10” refractor many years ago, but it wasn’t enough aperture, or the skies weren’t dark enough, or both…
I can’t even attempt it today, the sky is too bright- too many lights.
All I see is what’s out there, gases and dust, and stars...
Any image you think you see is the brain trying to identify shapes we are familiar with...
FTA: the expanse of obscuring dust has a recognizable shape only by chance from our perspective in the Milky Way
From another perspective in the Milky Way, it looks like the back-end of a horse....
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