Astronomy Picture of the Day · October 5, 1996

A Close-Up of the Horsehead Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 5, 1996 is “A Close-Up of the Horsehead Nebula,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (A Close-Up of the Horsehead Nebula Credit and Copyright: Vic Winter and Tom Bisque (ICSTARS)). The original explanation runs about 136 words.

From the explanation

“Explanation : 1500 light years away lies a nebula of quite peculiar shape. How did the dark dust cloud shown above come to be shaped like a horse’s head?”

— APOD editors, October 5, 1996

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: October 5, 1996
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: A Close-Up of the Horsehead Nebula Credit and Copyright: Vic Winter and Tom Bisque (ICSTARS)
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 136 words

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Topics in this entry

Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: October 5 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, October 5, 1996 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-1996-october-05-a-close-up-of-the-horsehead-nebula

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.