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Astronomy Picture of the Day - The Horsehead and Flame Nebulas
NASA ^ | 2 Sep, 2025 | Image Credit & Copyright: Daniel Stern

Posted on 09/02/2025 12:17:26 PM PDT by MtnClimber

Explanation: The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most famous nebulae on the sky. It is visible as the dark indentation to the orange emission nebula at the far right of the featured picture. The horse-head feature is dark because it is really an opaque dust cloud that lies in front of the bright emission nebula. Like clouds in Earth's atmosphere, this cosmic cloud has assumed a recognizable shape by chance. After many thousands of years, the internal motions of the cloud will surely alter its appearance. The emission nebula's orange color is caused by electrons recombining with protons to form hydrogen atoms. Toward the lower left of the image is the Flame Nebula, an orange-tinged nebula that also contains intricate filaments of dark dust.


TOPICS: Astronomy; Astronomy Picture of the Day; Science
KEYWORDS: apod; nasa

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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.

1 posted on 09/02/2025 12:17:26 PM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

2 posted on 09/02/2025 12:17:59 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

3 posted on 09/02/2025 12:18:37 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: 21stCenturion; 21twelve; 4everontheRight; A Navy Vet; A_perfect_lady; abb; AFB-XYZ; AFPhys; ...
Pinging the APOD list

🪐 🌟 🌌 🍔

4 posted on 09/02/2025 12:19:26 PM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber

Wow.


5 posted on 09/02/2025 12:20:03 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: MtnClimber

Cool.


6 posted on 09/02/2025 12:20:11 PM PDT by No name given ( Anonymous is who you’ll know me as )
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To: No name given

It is beautiful. I have tried to see them in a telescope, but the scopes I’ve looked thru aren’t big enough, and the skies aren’t dark enough.


7 posted on 09/02/2025 12:27:26 PM PDT by telescope115 (Ad Astra, Ad Deum…)
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