A new image taken by NASA’s Webb Space Telescope shows the clearest image yet of part of the horse-shaped nebula discovered more than a century ago.
Nebulae are clouds of gas and dust in outer space that appear in the night sky as distinct bright spots or dark silhouettes against other luminescent materials. And this nebula bears an uncanny resemblance to a rearing horse.
The so-called Horsehead Nebula in the constellation Orion lies 1,300 light-years, or nearly 6 trillion miles, from Earth, and is illuminated by nearby hot stars, revealing its remarkable “mane” of geological formations in detail.
The most powerful space observatory ever built, Webb can detect infrared light with unprecedented resolution, revealing celestial objects that cannot be seen in the visible spectrum of optical telescopes. .
“As ultraviolet light evaporates the dust cloud, the particles are swept away by an outflow of heated gas,” NASA said in a statement, along with images detailing the process.
The shot is expected to help astronomers better understand the nebula, which has become a popular target for space observatories including the Hubble Space Telescope.
The Horsehead Nebula is an ideal target for astronomers to study the physical structure of such formations, known as photodissociation regions (PDRs).
“[The images also reveal] “The molecular evolution of gas and dust within their respective environments, and the transition regions between them,” NASA said in a statement.
“This region is considered one of the best regions of the sky to study how radiation interacts with the interstellar medium.”
The new images also allow astronomers to study how dust blocks and emit light, as well as understand the nebula’s multidimensional shape.
Last year, the nebula was photographed by Euclid as part of a group of five amazing new space images.
unique pictures released The European Space Agency announced groundbreaking technology. To the final frontier From Cape Canaveral, Florida last July.
Euclid’s mission is to observe and ultimately help the consortium create groundbreaking 3D maps. [the universe’s] Hidden Secrets,” the organization says.
