Webb's new perspective focuses on the illuminated edges of the nebula's unique structure. In new infrared images taken by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope, the Horsehead Nebula is dancing on the cosmic stage. The Webb Telescope's near-infrared camera (NIRCam) and mid-infrared spectrometer (MIRI) have created an extreme close-up of the "mane" of the Horsehead Nebula, revealing a dynamic region that transitions from a mostly neutral, warm area of gas and dust within the nebula (indicated in blue) to a surrounding region of hot ionized gas (indicated in red).
This image of the Horsehead Nebula from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope focuses on the "mane" part of the horse, which is about 0.8 light-years wide. This was taken with Webb's near-infrared camera (NIRCam). The ethereal blue clouds at the bottom of the image are filled with a variety of materials, including hydrogen, methane, and water ice. The red wisps that extend above the main nebula represent atomic and molecular hydrogen. In this region, known as the photodissociation region, ultraviolet light from nearby young massive stars creates a neutral warm region of gas and dust between the fully ionized gas above and the nebula below. As with many Webb images, distant galaxies are scattered in the background. This image consists of light with wavelengths of 1.4 and 2.5 microns (blue), 3.0 and 3.23 microns (cyan), 3.35 microns (green), 4.3 microns (yellow), and 4.7 and 4.05 microns (red). Sources: NASA, ESA, CSA, Karl Misselt (University of Arizona), Alain Abergel (IAS)
Webb's observations will allow astronomers to study how dust in nebulae blocks and emits light and to better understand the shape of nebulae.
This image shows three perspectives of one of the most unique objects in our sky, the Matou Nebula. The first image (left) was released in November 2023 and shows the Horsehead Nebula as seen by the ESA Euclid telescope in visible light. The second image (center) is a near-infrared image of the Horsehead Nebula taken by NASA's Hubble Space Telescope, which was exhibited in 2013 as the 23rd anniversary image of the Hubble Space Telescope. This image reveals beautiful and delicate structures that are usually obscured by dust. The third image (right) shows a new view of the Horsehead Nebula captured by NASA's James Webb Space Telescope's Near-Infrared Camera (NIRCam) instrument. Sources: NASA, ESA, CSA, Karl Misselt (University of Arizona), Alain Abergel (IAS, CNRS), Mahdi Zamani Euclid Alliance, Hubble Heritage Project (STScI, AURA)
NASA's James Webb Space Telescope has captured the clearest infrared image yet of one of the most unique objects in our sky, the Horsehead Nebula. These observations show the top or edge of the iconic nebula's "horsehair" in a whole new light, capturing the complexity of the region with unprecedented spatial resolution.
Webb's new image shows part of the sky in the constellation Orion, on the western side of a dense area known as the Orion B molecular cloud. Rising from the turbulence of dust and gas is the Horsehead Nebula, aka Barnard 33, located about 1300 light-years away.
The nebula is formed by a collapsing cloud of interstellar matter, which glows due to being illuminated by a nearby hot star, and the surrounding gas cloud has dissipated, but the protruding pillar is made up of thick clumps of material, making it more difficult to erod. Astronomers estimate that the "horse's head" is about 5 million years before it disintegrates. Webb's new view focuses on the illuminated edges of the unique dust and gas structure at the top of the nebula.
The Matou Nebula is a well-known photodissociation region (PDR). In such a region, ultraviolet (UV) light from young massive stars creates a mostly neutral, warm region of gas and dust between the completely ionized gas around the massive star and the clouds where the star was born. This ultraviolet radiation strongly affects the chemistry of these areas and acts as an important source of heat.
This image of the Horsehead Nebula from NASA's James Webb Space Telescope focuses on part of the horse's "mane". This was taken with Webb's Mid-Infrared Instrument (MIRI). Mid-infrared light can capture the glow of substances such as dust, silicates, and soot-like molecules called polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Sources: NASA, ESA, CSA, Karl Misselt (University of Arizona), Alain Abergel (IAS)
The interstellar gas in these regions is dense enough to remain mostly neutral, but not dense enough to prevent the penetration of ultraviolet light from massive stars. The light emitted by this PDR provides a unique tool for studying the physical and chemical processes that have driven the evolution of interstellar matter in the Milky Way, as well as the entire universe from the early days of star formation to the present.
Due to its close proximity and almost marginal geometry, the Matou Nebula is an ideal target for astronomers to study the physical structure of PDR, the molecular evolution of gas and dust in their respective environments, and the transition regions between them. It is considered one of the best areas in the sky to study how radiation interacts with interstellar matter.
With the help of the Webb Telescope's Near-Infrared Imaging (MIRI) and Near-Infrared Imaging (NIRCam) instruments, an international team of astronomers has revealed for the first time the small-scale structure of the light-receiving edge of the Horsehead Star. When ultraviolet light evaporates the dust cloud, the dust particles are carried away from the dust cloud by the heated gas. Weber detected a small network of features that tracked this movement. Through observations, astronomers have also studied how dust blocks and emits light and gained a better understanding of the multidimensional shape of nebulae.
Next, astronomers intend to study the spectral data that have been obtained in order to gain insight into the evolution of the physical and chemical properties of the matter observed throughout the nebula.
The observations were made for the Webb GTO 1192 program, and the observations were published April 29 in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.
编译来源：ScitechDaily