Horsehead Nebula

nebula

The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) — a dark pillar of dust ~1,375 light-years away in the Orion Arm, silhouetted against the red glow of the emission nebula IC 434. One of the most recognisable shapes in the sky.

Open in 3D viewSee Horsehead Nebula in the live, interactive 3D map

Science

Physical

Type: Dark nebula (dust) against the emission nebula IC 434
Distance: ~1,375 light-years
Discovered: 1888, by Williamina Fleming (Harvard)

How we know

Note: The image is a REAL European Southern Observatory photograph (eso0202a, CC BY 4.0), shown as a camera-facing billboard at the nebula's real position — presented as seen from Earth (its true 3-D shape can't be shown).

Discovery & history

Name: A dark nebula in Edward Barnard's catalogue (B33); named for its horse-head shape.

Discovered on a photographic plate by Williamina Fleming at Harvard in 1888; its dark, horse-head silhouette made it an icon of astrophotography.

Images

The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) — a real ESO photograph of the dark dust column against the glow of IC 434. — ESO — CC BY 4.0 · Wikimedia Commons

Images from open archives · credit shown per image