Beautiful Horse Head Nebula
September 9th 2007 05:12
The beautiful Horsehead Nebula, is perhaps my faviourite nebula and its situated in the constellation of Orion and is a part of the optical nebula IC434 and also known as Barnard 33.
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First recorded in 1888 on a photographic plate taken at the Harvard College Observatory. It is not overly exciting to see with the naked eye through a telescope because our eyes do not register in that particular part of the light spectrum. It is only when it is photographed that the true beauty is reveled.
Its coincidental appearance as the profile of a horse's head and neck has led to its becoming one of the most familiar astronomical objects. It is, in fact, an extremely dense cloud projecting in front of the ionized gas that provides the pink glow so nicely revealed in this picture. We know this not only because the underside of the `neck' is especially dark, but because it actually casts a shadow on the field to its east (below the `muzzle').
The marked change in the density of stars visible on either side indicates that the strip of glowing hydrogen marks the edge of a substantial dark cloud. As a cloud core emerging from its ,maternal cloud, and as an active site of low-mass star formation.
It is difficult to see through a telescope without the use of proper filters, even though it is a relatively easy object to photograph to see the actual nebula through the telescope is somewhat dowdy although a photographic images brings out its splendor the colours are simply spectaular. This is partly due to the background nebula as it emits only in hydrogen light, most of which is hydrogen alpha, deep in the red part of the spectrum where our eyes are insensitive at those light levels. However it also emits some light in the hydrogen beta area, which is in the green-blue part of the spectrum where our eyes are far more sensitive. The images speak for themselves.
Location: 05 38 27 -02 29 (1950.0), constellation of Orion.
Distance: about 1600 light-years.
Credit: NOAO. Image \copyright AURA Inc./NOAO
IS our Moon Dead? Download Podcast here
Beautiful Horse Head Nebula Situated in the constellation of Orion
Its coincidental appearance as the profile of a horse's head and neck has led to its becoming one of the most familiar astronomical objects. It is, in fact, an extremely dense cloud projecting in front of the ionized gas that provides the pink glow so nicely revealed in this picture. We know this not only because the underside of the `neck' is especially dark, but because it actually casts a shadow on the field to its east (below the `muzzle').
The marked change in the density of stars visible on either side indicates that the strip of glowing hydrogen marks the edge of a substantial dark cloud. As a cloud core emerging from its ,maternal cloud, and as an active site of low-mass star formation.
It is difficult to see through a telescope without the use of proper filters, even though it is a relatively easy object to photograph to see the actual nebula through the telescope is somewhat dowdy although a photographic images brings out its splendor the colours are simply spectaular. This is partly due to the background nebula as it emits only in hydrogen light, most of which is hydrogen alpha, deep in the red part of the spectrum where our eyes are insensitive at those light levels. However it also emits some light in the hydrogen beta area, which is in the green-blue part of the spectrum where our eyes are far more sensitive. The images speak for themselves.
Location: 05 38 27 -02 29 (1950.0), constellation of Orion.
Distance: about 1600 light-years.
Credit: NOAO. Image \copyright AURA Inc./NOAO
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Comment by Kleonaptra
Kalikapsychosis
I had a telescope once and never found anything that cool.
Comment by Always Eighteen
Always Eighteen
that is beautiful.
Comment by CarlCan
Astroearth
Thank you for the comments.
The universe is such an amazing place just goes to show how insignificant we are.
Comment by Anonymous
im researching it
wooohohohoh