Astronomy Picture of the Day

    Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2020 April 12

                The Horsehead Nebula in Infrared from Hubble
     Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)

   Explanation: While drifting through the cosmos, a magnificent
   interstellar dust cloud became sculpted by stellar winds and radiation
   to assume a recognizable shape. Fittingly named the Horsehead Nebula,
   it is embedded in the vast and complex Orion Nebula (M42). A
   potentially rewarding but difficult object to view personally with a
   small telescope, the above gorgeously detailed image was taken in 2013
   in infrared light by the orbiting Hubble Space Telescope in honor of
   the 23rd anniversary of Hubble's launch. The dark molecular cloud,
   roughly 1,500 light years distant, is cataloged as Barnard 33 and is
   seen above primarily because it is backlit by the nearby massive star
   Sigma Orionis. The Horsehead Nebula will slowly shift its apparent
   shape over the next few million years and will eventually be destroyed
   by the high energy starlight.

                    April: (AWB's) Global Astronomy Month
                 Tomorrow's picture: strangely placed stone
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       Authors & editors: Robert Nemiroff (MTU) & Jerry Bonnell (UMCP)
            NASA Official: Phillip Newman Specific rights apply.
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                             & Michigan Tech. U.

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