Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2025 December 10
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                            The Horsehead Nebula
            Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]George Chatzifrantzis

   Explanation: Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, this dusty
   interstellar molecular cloud has by chance has assumed an immediately
   recognizable shape. Fittingly known as [5]The Horsehead Nebula, it lies
   some 1,500 light-years distant, embedded in the vast Orion cloud
   complex. About five light-years "tall," the dark cloud is cataloged as
   Barnard 33, first [6]identified on a photographic plate taken in the
   late 19th century. B33 is visible primarily because its obscuring dust
   is silhouetted against the glow of emission nebula IC 434. Hubble space
   telescope images [7]from the early 21st century find young stars
   forming within B33. Of course, the magnificent interstellar cloud will
   slowly shift its apparent shape over the next few million years. But
   for now the Horsehead Nebula is a rewarding though difficult object to
   view with small [8]telescopes from planet Earth.

                 Tomorrow's picture: the spectrum of the Sun
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    Authors & editors: [20]Robert Nemiroff ([21]MTU) & [22]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([23]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Amber Straughn [24]Specific rights apply.
            [25]NASA Web Privacy, [26]Accessibility, [27]Notices;
                A service of: [28]ASD at [29]NASA / [30]GSFC,
                         [31]NASA Science Activation
                           & [32]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2512/IC434NM.jpg
   3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
   4. https://www.facebook.com/GeorgeChatzifrantzis
   5. https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/the-horsehead-nebula/
   6. http://www.messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/b33.html
   7. https://science.nasa.gov/asset/hubble/hubble-sees-a-horsehead-of-a-different-color/
   8. https://app.astrobin.com/u/pithagoras?i=a4dajf#gallery
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251209.html
  10. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  12. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  13. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  15. https://apod.com/feed.rss
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  18. https://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=251210
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap251211.html
  20. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  21. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  22. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  23. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  25. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  26. https://www.nasa.gov/general/accessibility/
  27. https://www.nasa.gov/privacy/
  28. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  29. https://www.nasa.gov/
  30. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  31. https://science.nasa.gov/learners
  32. http://www.mtu.edu/