The James Webb Space Super Telescope has captured the most detailed infrared images yet of the nebula “Horse’s Head”one of the most majestic and recognizable objects in the night sky, the United States space agency reported on Monday (29).
The images show the upper part of the “horse’s mane”, revealing for the first time the small-scale structures at the edge of the giant cloud of gas and dust.
Located approximately 1,300 light-years in the constellation Orion, the iconic silhouette of a horse’s head rises from what appear to be choppy waves of interstellar foam.
“An international team of astronomers has revealed for the first time the small-scale structures at the illuminated end of Horsehead,” NASA said in a statement.
As ultraviolet light evaporates the stardust cloud, particles are flung away by the stream of hot gas, a process that the Webb telescope has now shown in action.
The observations also provided astronomers new data on how dust blocks or emits lightand a better idea of the multidimensional shape of this nebula.
The work is the result of studies led by Karl Misselt from the University of Arizona, and was published on Monday in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
The “Horsehead” nebula has fascinated space lovers since its discovery in 1888 by Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming.
Although it appears dark in optical light, the nebula comes to life when observed through infrared wavelengths.
Experts estimate that the “Horsehead” nebula will disappear in five million years.
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