The sharpest infrared images to date of one of the most distinctive objects in our skies, the Horsehead Nebula.
The Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33, has been captured in the sharpest infrared images ever, revealing new details of its structure. Located in the Orion constellation about 1300 light-years from Earth, this nebula is a part of the Orion B molecular cloud and is visible due to illumination from a nearby hot star. The images show intricate details of the nebula's top edge, highlighting its complex dust and gas composition. The Horsehead Nebula is a photon-dominated region (PDR), where ultraviolet light from young stars heats and alters the chemistry of the gas and dust without fully ionizing it. These PDRs are crucial for understanding the evolution of interstellar matter in our galaxy. The Horsehead Nebula's unique position and shape make it an excellent subject for studying these processes, but it is expected to disintegrate in about five million years.