DIFFUSE NEBULAE

The Flame & Horsehead nebulae are found in the winter-time constellation of Orion. Alnitak (the very large bright star near the center of the image, is the eastern-most star in the belt of Orion. The Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) is the bright area just below Alnitak. A broad dust lane nearly bisects the nebula. It is thought that at least a dozen stars are embedded within this nebula. The Flame is about 900 light years distant and is part of the Orion Molecular Complex, a star-forming region that also includes the famous Horsehead Nebula (embedded in the pinkish glowing area to the right of Alnitak). The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) is a small, dark nebula resembling a horse’s head silhouetted against the glow of the emission nebula IC 434 behind it. It has become one of the most frequently photographed objects in the sky. For technical reasons, I was not able to gather nearly enough data on these objects - but plan to re-visit them in the future. Technical/capture data can be found here.