Horsehead Nebula

full size jpg (360 kb)

The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33) is a dark nebula that is silhouetted against the brighter nebula known as IC 434. It is located approximately 1,600 light years from our solar system. 

The nebula is located within the constellation of Orion just south of the star known as Alnitak (Zeta Orionis), which is the easternmost star in Orion's belt.

This image was obtained using the Palomar Observatory's 60-inch Telescope by Antonin Bouchez and Ben Weiss (both of Caltech).   This image was taken with an r filter.  

Click here to see a color image of the Horsehead Nebula from the Second National Geographic Palomar Observatory Sky Survey.  

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