The Webb Telescope captured this image of the Horsehead Nebula that revealed the small-scale structures of its illuminated edge. Image: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, K. Misselt (University of Arizona) and A. Abergel (IAS/University Paris-Saclay, CNRS)
The Webb Space Telescope has given us another cosmic treat. The young observatory captured a closer look of the ethereal clouds of dust and gas that form a nearby nebula, illuminated by a companion star in the constellation Orion.
Located
a
mere
1,375
light-years
away,
the
Horsehead
Nebula
is
shaped
like
a
celestial
horse
galloping
across
the
clouds
in
a
starry
dream.
In
the
latest
observations
of
the
iconic
nebula,
Webb
captured
the
sharpest
infrared
image
to
date
of
a
zoomed-in
portion
of
the
Horsehead
Nebula,
according
to
the
European
Space
Agency.
Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, K. Misselt (University of Arizona) and A. Abergel (IAS/University Paris-Saclay, CNRS)
The image shows part of the sky in the constellation Orion, in the western side of a dense region known as the Orion B molecular cloud. The Horsehead Nebula is peaking its head through the bottom of the image, glowing in the light provided by a nearby hot star (which is shown at the top of the image).
Webb’s
Near-infrared
Camera
captured
the
top
of
the
gas
and
dust
clouds
in
unprecedented
detail,
revealing
the
complexity
of
the
nebula’s
illuminated
edges.
For
the
first
time,
the
Webb
telescope
detected
a
network
of
thin
features
tracing
the
movement
of
dust
particles
as
they
are
carried
with
heated
gas
away
from
the
clouds.
The
new
findings
are
detailed
in
a
paper
published
Monday
in
the
journal
Astronomy
&
Astrophysics.
The latest observations of the Horsehead Nebula have also allowed astronomers to better understand the multidimensional shape of the nebula and study how the dust blocks and emits light.
The Euclid telescope captured this view of the Horsehead Nebula in 2023. Image: ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA, image processing by J.-C. Cuillandre (CEA Paris-Saclay), G. Anselmi
The Horsehead Nebula, otherwise known as Barnard 33, formed from a collapsing cloud of material. The head portion is roughly 3.5 light-years across. Although the gas clouds surrounding it have started to fade, its famous pillar is still rising strong with thick clumps of material that are harder to erode. Astronomers estimate that the Horsehead Nebula is here to stay for at least five million years, so it’s safe to say we’ll be able to enjoy this beauty for a while.
Due to its proximity, the Horsehead Nebula is an ideal target for scientists to study the molecular evolution of gas and dust in relation to their surrounding environment and how radiation interacts with interstellar matter. With the newly captured images, astronomers will also look at the spectroscopic data to gather insights into how the physical and chemical properties of the material observed across the nebula has evolved over time.
The Horsehead Nebula is the cosmic beast that keeps on feeding us with information and pretty sights.
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