• Key Information

  • Horsehead Nebula

  • Type
    Dark Nebula
  • Diameter
    7 light years
  • Distance
    About 1,375 light years
  • Date of Discovery
    1888 (Williamina Fleming)
  • Other Names
    Barnard 33, LDN 1630, IC 434
  • Learning Point
  • The Horsehead Nebula is a dark nebula that blocks light from other nebula further away, and has become famous for its similarity to the head of a horse. It has become an iconic image, and Hubble Space Telescope has take some very detailed images of the structure of the nebula itself.
  • Project
  • Identify the type of nebula the Horsehead nebula is, and why it has that unique shape.
  • Location
  • Located in
    Orion constellaton, within the Milky Way
  • Fun Facts
  • It was discovered by Williamina Fleming in 1888, after she examined photographs taken from the Harvard College Observatory.
  • It is a challenging nebula to find, which might be why people like William Herschel didn't notice its horsehead shape.
  • A dark nebula blocks the light of things behind it, creating something similar to a silhouette.