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| Catalogue and alternative designations |
Horsehead nebula, Barnard 33 |
| Type | Dark nebula |
| Position | 05 40 59, -02 27 30 |
| Constellation | Orion |
| Camera and Telescope | QSI 583 WSG, 20cm Maksutov Newtonian courtesy Dean Salman |
| Focal Ratio | F4 |
| Exposure Details | 780 minutes Hydrogen Alpha with Astrodon 3nm filter, Colour image is HaLRGB with R=G=B=130 minutes (synthetic luminance) |
| Description | The
Horsehead Nebula (also
known as Barnard 33 in
emission nebula IC 434) is a
dark nebula in the constellation
Orion. The nebula is located
about 30' to the south of the
star Alnitak, which is farthest
east on Orion's Belt, and is
part of the much larger Orion
Molecular Cloud Complex. The
nebula was first recorded in
1888 by Williamina Fleming on
photographic plate B2312 taken
at the Harvard College
Observatory. The Horsehead
Nebula is approximately 1500
light years from Earth. It is
one of the most identifiable
nebulae because of the shape of
its swirling cloud of dark dust
and gases, which is similar to
that of a horse's head when
viewed from Earth.
Visually it is a significant
challenge. A H Beta filter
helps.
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