Horsehead Nebula
Dark nebula in the constellation Orion / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Dear Wikiwand AI, let's keep it short by simply answering these key questions:
Can you list the top facts and stats about Horsehead Nebula?
Summarize this article for a 10 year old
SHOW ALL QUESTIONS
The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33 or B33) is a small dark nebula in the constellation Orion.[2] 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. It appears within the southern region of the dense dust cloud known as Lynds 1630, along the edge of the much larger, active star-forming H II region called IC 434.[3]
Quick Facts Dark nebula, Observation data: J2000.0 epoch ...
Dark nebula | |
---|---|
diffuse | |
Observation data: J2000.0 epoch | |
Right ascension | 05h 40m 59.0s |
Declination | −02° 27′ 30.0" |
Distance | 1,375±54[1][note 1] ly (422±17[1] pc) |
Apparent magnitude (V) | 6.8 |
Apparent dimensions (V) | 8 × 6 arcmins |
Constellation | Orion |
Physical characteristics | |
Radius | 3.5 ly |
Designations | Barnard 33, LDN 1630, IC 434 |
See also: Lists of nebulae |
Close
The Horsehead Nebula is approximately 422 parsecs or 1,375 light-years from Earth.[1][3] It is one of the most identifiable nebulae because of its resemblance to a horse's head.[4]