Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

The Horsehead Nebula

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for December 17, 2019 is “The Horsehead Nebula,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson & Martin Pugh , SSRO , PROMPT , CTIO , NSF). The original explanation runs about 114 words.

The Horsehead Nebula
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson & Martin Pugh , SSRO , PROMPT , CTIO , NSF Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

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 17, 2019

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
December 17, 2019
Type
Image
Credit
Credit: Image Credit & Copyright: Mark Hanson & Martin Pugh , SSRO , PROMPT , CTIO , NSF
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 114 words

All of December 2019 → · 2019 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 17 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.