马头星云与猎户座星云

马头星云与猎户座星云

Horsehead and Orion Nebulas
Image Credit & Copyright: Antoine & Dalia Grelin

Explanation: The dark Horsehead Nebula and the glowing Orion Nebula are contrasting cosmic vistas. Adrift 1,500 light-years away in one of the night sky’s most recognizable constellations, they appear in opposite corners of the above stunning mosaic. The familiar Horsehead nebula appears as a dark cloud, a small silhouette notched against the long glow of hydrogen — here shown in gold — at the lower left. Alnitak is the easternmost star in Orion’s belt and is seen as the bright star to the left of the Horsehead. Just below Alnitak is the Flame Nebula, with clouds of bright emission and dramatic dark dust lanes. The magnificent emission region, the Orion Nebula (aka M42), lies at the upper right. Immediately to its left is a prominent reflection nebula sometimes called the Running Man. Pervasive tendrils of glowing hydrogen gas are easily traced throughout the region.

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马头星云与猎户座星云
影像提供与版权: Antoine & Dalia Grelin

说明: 黑暗的马头星云和发光的猎户座星云形成了鲜明对比的宇宙景象。它们位于在夜空中最容易辨认的星座之一猎户座的方向，并漂浮在距离我们1,500光年的宇宙中。在这张令人惊叹的组合照片中，他们出现于左下角与右上角的位置。在图中左下方处，氢气辉光（这里以金色显示）的映衬下，有一个马头状小乌云，那是众所熟悉的马头星云。马头星云左下方最亮的恒星，是猎户座腰带上最靠东边的亮星，称为参宿一。参宿一的左边是火焰星云，它具有明亮的发射云气和引人注目的黑暗尘埃带。位于右上角的壮丽发射云气，是猎户座大星云（又称 M42）。紧邻其左侧的是一个突出的反射星云，有时被称为“奔跑的人”。在这张照片中，我们很容易追踪到无处不在的发光氢气卷须。

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