English English | Deutsch Deutsch
  • Jewel Box Cluster
  • M45 - The Pleiades
  • M44 - Beehive Cluster
  • Globular Cluster M4
  • M14 - A Typical Globular Cluster
  • Pillars of Creation
  • Crab Nebula
  • The Crab Nebula Supernova Explosion
  • Eagle Nebula
  • Eagle Nebula (visible)
  • IC 2944
  • Eta Carinae - A Supermassive Star
  • The Horsehead Nebula
  • The Horsehead Nebula (infrared)
  • The Orion Nebula - M42
  • Orion Molecular Cloud Complex
  • M78 - A Blue Reflection nebula
  • Omega Nebula
  • Ring Nebula
  • Planet-Forming Disc around a New Born Star
  • Simeis 147 supernova remnant
  • The Great Carina Nebula (NGC 3372)
  • The Great Carina Nebula in False Colours
  • V838 Monocerotis - Light Echo of an Erupting Star
  • Open star cluster Pismis 24

One of the classical images of a dark nebula. This 1500 light years distant star-forming region has fired the imagination of humans since its discovery more than a century ago. Douglas Adams placed his imaginary planet Magrathea inside the Horsehead Nebula in his famous novel "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Most young stars are still hidden inside the nebula and will only be revealed in a few million years when the radiation pressure of the young stars blows away all the remaining gas and dust. If you can't wait that long you can have a look at this infrared image of the Horsehead Nebula which shows some of its hidden stars.

If interested, read more about: Molecular Clouds and Dark Nebulae


All text and articles published by Sun.org are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

Creative Commons License
The Horsehead Nebula
Published by Published or last modified on 2024-04-14
Meteorites for sale