Like colour painted on a black canvas, nebulae are the most attractive and lit objects in space. Nebulae can assume any shapes, though it took millions of years for them to shift shapes. The horsehead nebula is one such nebula and one of the most well-known objects in the sky. Also known as Barnard 33, this nebula is located at a distance of approximately 1500 light-years from earth.
The nebula is one of the most photographed objects. It was first discovered by the Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming at the Harvard College Observatory in 1888. The following image is taken by Hubble space telescope in infrared light.
Though it looks like a punch hole in the bright pink background (visual light) of another nebula IC 434, it isn’t an empty dark place, but hydrogen dominated cloud. The pinkish glow of the hydrogen gas behind the horsehead nebula is ionised and illuminated by the Sigma Orionis of the Orion constellation, which is a five-star system. Detailed studies have shown that the nebula contains heavy organic, inorganic molecules and complexes. Can these be the places where elements of life are formed? We can’t be sure. But these definitely are the wombs where stars grow.
-Adarsha H A
Image Credit: NASA, ESA, and The Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA)
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