Astronomy Picture of the Day · December 25, 2016

The Magnificent Horsehead Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 25, 2016 is “The Magnificent Horsehead Nebula,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Burali, Tiziano Capecchi, Marco Mancini ( Osservatorio MTM )). The original explanation runs about 115 words.

From the explanation

“Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, a magnificent interstellar dust cloud by chance has assumed this recognizable shape . Fittingly named the Horsehead Nebula , it is some 1,500 light-years distant , embedded in the vast Orion cloud complex.”

— APOD editors, December 25, 2016

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date: December 25, 2016
Type: Image
Credit: Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Burali, Tiziano Capecchi, Marco Mancini ( Osservatorio MTM )
Copyright: Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length: About 115 words

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Topics in this entry

Orion Nebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 25 in other years

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Source

Astronomy Picture of the Day, December 25, 2016 — science.nasa.gov/image-article/apod-2016-december-25-the-magnificent-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.