IC 434 Horsehead Nebula
The Horsehead Nebula is part of a dense cloud of gas in front of an active star-forming region known as IC 434. The nebulosity of the Horsehead is believed to be excited by the bright star Sigma Orionis, which is located above the top of the image. Just off the left side of the image is the bright star Zeta Orionis, which is the easternmost of the three stars that form Orion's belt. Zeta Orionis is a foreground star, and is not related to the nebula. The streaks in the nebulosity that extend above the Horsehead are likely due to magnetic fields within the nebula. Close study reveals that many more stars are visible in the top half of the image. Stars in the lower half of the image are obscured by a dark cloud of gas. The edge of this large cloud is the horizontal strip of glowing gas that bisects the image.
| Observatory: | WIYN Observatory Kitt Peak, Arizona |
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| Telescope: | WIYN 0.9-Meter |
| Instrument: | Mosaic I |
| Astronomer: | T.A. Rector (NOAO/AURA/NSF) & Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA/NASA) |
| Date of Observation: | 11-10-2000 |
| Filters and Assigned Colors: | Hydrogen-alpha (red), Oxygen [OIII] (green) and Sulfur [SII] (blue) |
| Exposure Times: | 5x10 minutes in each filter |
| Location of Image: | Orion |
| Field of View: | 57 x 58 arcminutes |
| Orientation: | North is to the left and East is down |
| Link to Larger Image | |
| Link to Full Resolution Image | |
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