Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                              2019 December 17
    [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest
                        resolution version available.

                            The Horsehead Nebula
     Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Mark Hanson & [4]Martin Pugh, [5]SSRO,
                         [6]PROMPT, [7]CTIO, [8]NSF

   Explanation: [9]Sculpted by stellar winds and radiation, a magnificent
   interstellar dust cloud by chance has assumed this [10]recognizable
   shape. Fittingly named the [11]Horsehead Nebula, it is some 1,500
   light-years [12]distant, embedded in the vast [13]Orion cloud complex.
   About five light-years "tall", the dark cloud is cataloged as
   [14]Barnard 33 and is visible only because its [15]obscuring dust is
   silhouetted against the glowing red emission nebula IC 434. [16]Stars
   are forming within the dark cloud. [17]Contrasting blue reflection
   nebula NGC 2023, surrounding a hot, young [18]star, is at the lower
   left of [19]the full image. The featured gorgeous [20]color image
   combines both [21]narrowband and [22]broadband images recorded using
   several different telescopes.

                       Tomorrow's picture: open space
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [34]Robert Nemiroff ([35]MTU) & [36]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([37]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [38]Specific rights apply.
              [39]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [40]ASD at [41]NASA / [42]GSFC
                           & [43]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix2015.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1912/Horsehead_Hanson_2604.jpg
   3. https://www.hansonastronomy.com/bio
   4. https://www.martinpughastrophotography.space/
   5. http://www.starshadows.com/
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PROMPT_Telescopes
   7. http://www.ctio.noao.edu/noao/
   8. https://www.nsf.gov/
   9. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap080313.html
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seahorse
  11. http://www.noao.edu/image_gallery/html/im0057.html
  12. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hgTrLozRj40
  13. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070125.html
  14. http://messier.seds.org/xtra/ngc/b33.html
  15. http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/archive/releases/2001/12/
  16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap070218.html
  17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap160608.html
  18. https://science.nasa.gov/astrophysics/focus-areas/how-do-stars-form-and-evolve
  19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/1912/Horsehead_Hanson_2604.jpg
  20. https://www.hansonastronomy.com/ic-434ngc2023
  21. https://www.thepoke.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/pets-vs-furniture-cat-squeezed-in-couch.jpg
  22. https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/e1/6c/e4/e16ce47242406ac2d278f10619282d13.jpg
  23. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191216.html
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix2015.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  32. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=191217
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap191218.html
  34. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  35. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  36. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  37. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  38. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  39. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  40. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/
  42. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  43. http://www.mtu.edu/