10/05/2010- Horsehead and Orion Nebulas
This image shows the Horsehead and Orion Nebulas of the constellation Orion. Horsehead is at the lower left and Orion is at the upper right. The way nebulas manage to look wispy and solid while actually consisting of gases like hydrogen and helium amazes me. Stars are often formed in these gaseous formations. The Horsehead Nebula is 1500 light years away and lies below the star Alnitak of Orion's Belt. The nebula is supposed to resemble a horse's head, but I think it looks more like a scorpion's stinger. I'm not in charge of naming astronomical objects, so I'll get off my high horse. Perhaps Williamina Fleming, the discoverer, thought the latter would have been redundant with the constellation Scorpius. However, it's better than the Running Man nebula, which doesn't look anything like a running man. My favorite parts of this picture are the Flame Nebula and the Orion Nebula itself, which kind of looks like a white blood cell. Extending the tendril from the Flame Nebula up and right to the Orion Nebula, it almost looks like the fuse leading to a bomb. There are all kinds of neat likenesses in this image!
I noticed the author's wry sense of humor in this APOD. He linked "Horsehead" to a set of instructions for drawing a horse's head. You can't blame him for horsing around.
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