Horsehead Rides Again
Difficult to see in small telescopes, the Horsehead nebula was recently selected by internet voters as a target for the Hubble Space Telescope . Above (top) is Hubble's detailed view of the dark cosmic dust cloud , released to celebrate the 11th anniversary of the workhorse orbiting observatory. Below it is a stunning ground-based view from the NOAO 0.9 meter telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory which shows the dark Horsehead against a wider edge-on expanse of glowing gas. Dramatic dust and gas clouds in and around the Horsehead are part of a large, complex stellar nursery seen towards the constellation of Orion . This star forming region is about 1,500 light-years distant and includes the well known Orion nebula . The Horsehead nebula is found just south of Zeta Orionis , the easternmost star in Orion's belt.