Today's story is about a famous and incomparably enchanting nebula in the universe -- the Horsehead Nebula.
It is precisely because this nebula really looks like a horse's head in the vast night sky from the Earth, that scientists gave it this name.
The Horsehead Nebula is a very special celestial body. Over the past 100 years, countless astronomy enthusiasts and scientists have taken "ID photos" of the Matou Nebula.
It is not only the most desired celestial object for human beings in the past hundred years, but also one of the most valuable celestial objects for research.
And just recently, NASA launched into space in 2021, and the most powerful James Webb space telescope ever sent back new images.
This time, the target, the most powerful telescope, once again looked at the Horsehead Nebula.
The telescope sent back images that surprised astronomers and amateurs alike:
The Webb Space Telescope has captured an unprecedented high-definition image of the Horsehead Nebula!
(High-resolution image of the Horsehead Nebula)
Don't think it's a "horse's head" at all?
Wait a minute, let's start at the beginning.
In 1888, Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming accidentally discovered a very special-looking star on a photographic baseplate.
(1888, first photograph of the Matou Nebula)
After 90 minutes of exposure for this photo, Williamina noticed that between the nebulae, there seemed to be a black horse's head, looking at the star next to it.
This is the first time that people have photographed the Horsehead Nebula.
（马头星云的发现者Williamina Fleming）
Decades later, an American astronomer named Barnard photographed the Horsehead Nebula again on an extremely clear night.
Officially known as Barnard 33, it is located to the lower left of Betelgeuse in the constellation Orion, 1,375 light-years from Earth.
(Barnard's photograph of the Horsehead Nebula)
Why is there such a dark shadow in the nebula? Is it a hollow or just a very thick cloud?
By studying the negatives, Barnard discovered that the Horsehead Nebula was a very faint nebula. Seen from Earth, the dark dust and swirling gases obscured the light of the nebula behind it, thus forming the head of the horse, hence the name "Horse's Head Nebula".
As you can see from the pictures taken by amateur astronomers:
The red glow comes from the hydrogen gas illuminated by the stars behind the nebula, and the dark horse's head is about 1 light-year high, and the dense dust obscures the light behind it, forming the shape of a horse's head.
(Picture of the Matou Nebula taken by an astronomy enthusiast)
The unique shape of the Horsehead Nebula makes it one of the most recognizable nebulae in the sky.
At the same time, because it is difficult to observe, amateur astronomers often use the Matou Nebula as an important object to test their observation equipment and skills.
In the eyes of professional scientists, the Matou Nebula has also become an object that astronomers are eager to observe because it contains a large amount of hydrocarbons and reacts with radiation rays.
(Amateur photograph of the Horsehead Nebula)
Over the past few decades, with the advancement of science and technology, this iconic celestial body has been able to be seen more and more clearly by humans.
Several powerful telescopes operating in space took pictures of different clarity at different times and at different angles.
Let us have a comprehensive and detailed understanding of the Matou Nebula.
Hubble, the Meritorious Telescope launched in 1990, took a near-infrared image of the Matou Nebula, which was released to the public in 2013.
The Horsehead Nebula under Hubble's lens is not only magnified but also clearer, and even the gas shape and layers of the nebula can be seen clearly.
Now we can see clearly, is it exactly 100 years ago, Barnard gave us the conclusion: "The horsehead nebula is a thick and opaque nebula, blocking the starlight behind"
(Hubble's Horsehead Nebula)
The European Space Agency's Euclid telescope, which has been in development since 2013, will be launched into space in July 2023.
In November 2023, the Euclid telescope took a small test and captured the Horsehead Nebula in light, which can see the full picture of the horse's head.
(Horsehead Nebula in visible light)
Now, more than a decade later, the more advanced James Webb Space Telescope has taken up the task of capturing the details of the Horsehead Nebula.
What was captured by the Webb Space Telescope this time, and what is the Horsehead Nebula?
As the telescope continues to develop, we are seeing more and more details of the Horsehead Nebula.
This time, it was the "mane" part of the top of the horse's head.
Even a clear fluff-like gas is seen.
(The "mane" on the head of the Horsehead Nebula)
Re-near one point...
(High-definition photo of the "mane" of the horsehead nebula)
From seeing the shape of the horse's head to seeing the details of the "mane", the scientific and technological progress of mankind over the past hundred years is visible to the naked eye...
Left: Panorama of the Horsehead Nebula from the Euclid telescope
Center: Hubble Telescope Horsehead Nebula close-up
Right: Webb telescope, close-up of the top section of the Horsehead Nebula
The telescope took pictures of the Matou Nebula, not just to give us a picture, but also for scientific research.
This area is the most important area of the Matou Nebula, which is known in astronomy as the photon-dominated region, which is the focus of scientific research.
By studying the light emitted by photon-dominated regions, astronomers can better understand the physical and chemical processes of the evolution of interstellar matter.
According to an expert from the European Space Agency:
"It is no exaggeration to say that the Horsehead Nebula is one of the best objects for studying the interaction between interstellar matter and radiation."
But for us,
It's enough to see such stunning nebula details.