The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex is situated close to the celestial equator and, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. This means that astrophotographers all over the world are able to share their images of the areas targets including this Flame, Horsehead, Orion, Running Man and De Marian’s Nebula among others. Here in the northern hemispehere its a winter target. Clear cold nights allow for stunning images.
This image captures several distinct items. The Flame Nebula, designated as NGC 2024 and Sh2-277, is an emission nebula situated just next to the very bright star Alnitak. It is about 900 to 1,500 light-years away. That bright star Alnitak (ζ Ori), the easternmost star in the Belt of Orion, shines energetic ultraviolet light into the Flame and this knocks electrons away from the great clouds of hydrogen gas that reside there. Much of the glow results when the electrons and ionized hydrogen recombine. Additional dark gas and dust lies in front of the bright part of the nebula and this is what causes the dark network that appears in the center of the glowing gas. In this center is a concentrated cluster of newly formed stars.
The Flame Nebula is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, a star-forming region that includes the famous Horsehead Nebula. The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33) is a small dark nebula in the constellation Orion. The nebula is located just to the south of that bright star, Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt within the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. It appears within the southern region of the dense dust cloud known as Lynds 1630, along the edge of the much larger, active star-forming H II region called IC 434, which is the backdrop of the Horsehead.
The Horsehead Nebula is approximately 422 parsecs or 1,375 light-years from Earth. It is one of the most identifiable nebulae because of its resemblance to a horse’s head. The nebula was first recorded in 1888 by Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming on a photographic plate taken at the Harvard College Observatory. One of the first descriptions was made by E. E. Barnard, describing it as: “Dark mass, diam. 4′, on nebulous strip extending south from ζ Orionis”, cataloguing the dark nebula as Barnard 33 The dark cloud of dust and gas is a region in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex where star formation is taking place.
Colour images reveal a deep-red colour that originates from ionised hydrogen gas (Hα) predominantly behind the nebula, and caused by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis. Magnetic fields channel the gases, leaving the nebula into streams, shown as foreground streaks against the background glow. A glowing strip of hydrogen gas marks the edge of the enormous cloud, and the densities of nearby stars are noticeably different on either side.
Heavy concentrations of dust in the Horsehead Nebula region and neighbouring Orion Nebula are localized into interstellar clouds, resulting in alternating sections of nearly complete opacity and transparency. The darkness of the Horsehead is caused mostly by thick dust blocking the light of stars behind it. The lower part of the Horsehead’s neck casts a shadow to the left. The visible dark nebula emerging from the gaseous complex is an active site of the formation of “low-mass” stars. Bright spots in the Horsehead Nebula’s base are young stars just in the process of forming.
A stunning part of our winter sky.
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