The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) is a dark nebula located about 1,500 light-years away in the constellation Orion, forming part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. Its iconic horse-head shape appears in silhouette against the glowing red emission nebula IC 434, which is illuminated by nearby young, hot stars. Composed mainly of cold hydrogen gas and cosmic dust, the Horsehead Nebula is a region where new stars are forming within dense clouds. Interestingly, astronomers predict that intense stellar radiation will eventually erode this famous structure, causing it to disappear within a few million years.

Body: Horsehead Nebula (B33)
Original Resolution: 1465×3145
DPI: 96
Bit Depth: 24bit
Exposure Time: 34min