Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Horsehead Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 27, 2017 is “The Horsehead Nebula,” an image. It is credited to Image Credit: CFHT , Coelum , MegaCam , J.-C. Cuillandre ( CFHT ) & G. A. Anselmi ( Coelum ). The original explanation runs about 163 words.

The Horsehead Nebula
Credit: Image Credit: CFHT , Coelum , MegaCam , J.-C. Cuillandre ( CFHT ) & G. A. Anselmi ( Coelum ) Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“One of the most identifiable nebulae in the sky, the Horsehead Nebula in Orion , is part of a large, dark, molecular cloud . Also known as Barnard 33, the unusual shape was first discovered on a photographic plate in the late 1800s.”

— APOD editors, December 27, 2017

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 27, 2017
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit: CFHT , Coelum , MegaCam , J.-C. Cuillandre ( CFHT ) & G. A. Anselmi ( Coelum )
Copyright
No copyright notice on the entry. Check the credited institution’s own usage rules before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 163 words

All of December 2017 → · 2017 by month → · Full archive since 1995 →

Topics in this entry

OrionNebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: December 27 in other years

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Source

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.