Nebula · In the Milky Way

Horsehead Nebula

Dark nebula, Barnard 33

From the Sun

1,375 light-years

Horsehead NebulaOpen in 3D
Picture: ESO

What it is

A cloud of cold dust standing in front of glowing hydrogen, just south of Alnitak in Orion’s belt.

The picture hangs at that distance facing Earth, as large as it is on the sky; how deep the object is cannot be seen, so it is flat.

The picture

Taken by
European Southern Observatory
Picture spans
about 2.6 ly
From the Sun
1,375 light-years
RA / Dec
85.25° / -2.46°
Credit
ESO

Horsehead Nebula

The Horsehead Nebula is a small dark nebula located about 1,375 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Orion. The nebula is located just to the south of Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion's Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion molecular cloud complex.

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In the Milky Way