Dark nebula
The Horsehead Nebula
Also Barnard 33 · B33
A dark cloud of dust shaped like a horse's head, silhouetted against glowing red hydrogen.
Measured
- Distance
- about 1,375 light-years (published estimates 1,320–1,430)
- Size
- about 7 light-years across (approximate)
- Constellation
- Orion
- Position (J2000)
- RA 5h 40m 59s, Dec −2.46°
How far, from the Sun
About 1,380 light-years. To cross it:
- Light1,380 years
- Voyager 1's speed24.4 million years
- Driving at 100 km/h14.8 billion years
Voyager 1 at the speed it moved outward over the year to 2026-10-25 (JPL Horizons). Driving: nonstop, never refuelling.
Facts
- The red glow behind it is hydrogen lit by the hot star Sigma Orionis.
- It is part of the Orion B molecular cloud, the same complex that holds the Flame Nebula.
How it was found
- It was first recorded on a photographic plate in 1888 by Williamina Fleming at Harvard.
Where this comes from
- Gaia DR2 parallax of IRAS 05383-0228, a young star at the nebula, 2.3718 ± 0.0937 mas (422 ± 17 pc; Gaia Collaboration 2018, A&A 616, A1)
Every catalogue Ouranos draws is credited on the credits page.