Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Judi Lynn

(162,336 posts)
Tue Apr 30, 2024, 05:54 AM Apr 2024

Horsehead Nebula rears its head in gorgeous new James Webb Space Telescope images (video)

By Robert Lea published 16 hours ago

The stunning star-forming region is seen in a brand new light in the new images from the powerful space telescope.

- video at link -

The James Webb Space Telescope (JWST) has captured incredibly sharp images of the Horsehead Nebula, one of the most iconic celestial bodies in the sky over Earth.

The most powerful telescope ever placed into orbit around our planet, the JWST was able to see details of the Horsehead Nebula, also known as Barnard 33, that had never before been revealed, showing some regions in a completely new light.

The new images show the Horsehead Nebula as turbulent waves of gas rising from the western side of Orion B, a star-forming molecular cloud located 1,300 light-years from Earth in the constellation of Orion.



(Left) an image of part of the Horsehead nebula as seen by the JWST's NIRCam (Near-InfraRed Camera) instrument.(Right) another region visualised by The JWST instrument MIRI (Mid-InfraRed Instrument). (Inset) the entire Horsehead Nebula as seen by Hubble. (Image credit: ESA/Webb, NASA, CSA, K. Misselt (University of Arizona) and A. Abergel (IAS/University Paris-Saclay, CNRS))

The Horsehead Nebula is a collapsing cloud of dense, cool gas that is illuminated by a hot young star embedded in its top left edge. The horse-like structure that makes this nebula so distinctive has been created because lighter gas has been eroded. this has left a thick pillar of dense gas and dust that is harder to erode.

More:
https://www.space.com/james-webb-space-telescope-horsehead-nebula

5 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Horsehead Nebula rears its head in gorgeous new James Webb Space Telescope images (video) (Original Post) Judi Lynn Apr 2024 OP
The number of galaxies you can see... MiHale Apr 2024 #1
Overwhelming. Beyond understanding . . . Judi Lynn Apr 2024 #2
Stunning! lark Apr 2024 #3
Beautiful! Thanks for sharing this. Oopsie Daisy Apr 2024 #4
A good candidate for research because it's "relatively close to Earth" Pinback Apr 2024 #5

Oopsie Daisy

(4,437 posts)
4. Beautiful! Thanks for sharing this.
Tue Apr 30, 2024, 08:07 AM
Apr 2024

No wonder that the most fundamental religionists are opposed to science and exploration. It kinda ruins the narrative.

Pinback

(12,858 posts)
5. A good candidate for research because it's "relatively close to Earth"
Tue Apr 30, 2024, 08:51 AM
Apr 2024

- a mere 1,300 light-years away.

I need to bookmark this for whenever I need a hubris adjustment. Thanks for the post - beautiful pictures.

Latest Discussions»Culture Forums»Science»Horsehead Nebula rears it...