Between the Orion and Horsehead Nebulae Wall Poster

The nearest and best-studied star-forming region is that in Orion. At distance of about 1,500 light years, Orion is close enough and compact enough for us to see both the finer details and the large-scale structure. A wide angle look at the principal nebulae is shown in this photograph, which contains both the Horsehead nebula and, at the bottom of the picture, the famous Orion Nebula, M42 itself. Throughout this region, radio astronomers have found extensive molecular clouds that are normally invisble at optical wavelenghts. However in the region of Orion between the Horsehead Nebula and M42 there is enough light from the numerous bright stars and the nebulae themselves to feebly illuminate these dark regions, producing the faint, wispy tendrils in the middle of the picture. Eventually, star formation within these clouds will transform them into vivid nebulae to rival the two illustrated here.

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