The Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33, and its companion, the Flame Nebula, sit near the star Alnitak in Orion’s Belt. Today, we know that the Horsehead is a dark, light-gobbling nebula made of cold gas and dust. And, as Barnard showed, this dark cloud’s signature shape is only visible because its silhouette obscures the light from the brighter nebula behind it.

The horse’s prominent “jaw” is actually shaped by intense radiation from a nearby star blowing on the dark cloud. And as easy as it is to focus on this charismatic object, the Horsehead Nebula is just one piece of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. This star forming region spreads across hundreds of light-years and covers much of the Orion constellation itself. And by studying it, astronomers have learned the stellar nursery has already given birth to young stars, some even with protoplanetary disks.

Telescope: Samyang 135mm f/2 ED UMC (closed to f/2.4)
Camera: ASI178MC
Mount: EQ5 Pro Synscan
Software: Sharpcap, ACDSee Pro 2
Frames: 61 х 120 sec., gain 200