Astronomy Picture of the Day

   [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our
      fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation
                    written by a professional astronomer.

                                2022 March 7
   [2]The featured image shows the the part of the constellation of Orion
    where the Horsehead and Flame Nebulas reside. The gaseous wisps above
    the Horsehead can appear, in this deep exposure, to be a lion's head.
          Please see the explanation for more detailed information.

                               A Lion in Orion
                 Image Credit & Copyright: [3]Maroun Mahfoud

   Explanation: Yes, but can you see the lion? A deep exposure shows the
   famous [4]dark indentation that looks like a horse's head, visible just
   left and below center, and known unsurprisingly as the Horsehead
   Nebula. The Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) is part of a [5]vast complex
   of dark absorbing [6]dust and bright [7]glowing gas. To bring out
   details of the [8]Horsehead's pasture, an astrophotographer
   artistically combined light accumulated for over 20 hours in
   [9]hydrogen (orange), [10]oxygen (blue), and [11]sulfur (green). The
   resulting spectacular picture captured from [12]Raachine, [13]Lebanon,
   details an intricate [14]tapestry of gaseous wisps and dust-laden
   [15]filaments that were created and sculpted over eons by [16]stellar
   winds and ancient [17]supernovas. The featured composition [18]brings
   up another [19]pareidolic animal icon -- that of a lion's head -- in
   the expansive orange colored gas above the horse's head. The [20]Flame
   Nebula is visible just to the left of the Horsehead. The [21]Horsehead
   Nebula lies 1,500 [22]light years distant towards the [23]constellation
   of [24]Orion.

                   Tomorrow's picture: oddly inverted moon
     __________________________________________________________________

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    Authors & editors: [36]Robert Nemiroff ([37]MTU) & [38]Jerry Bonnell
                                 ([39]UMCP)
          NASA Official: Phillip Newman [40]Specific rights apply.
              [41]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices
                A service of: [42]ASD at [43]NASA / [44]GSFC
                           & [45]Michigan Tech. U.

References

   1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
   2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2203/HorseFlameLion_Mahfoud_4639.jpg
   3. mailto: Maroun_Mahfoud at Hotmail dot com
   4. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap171227.html
   5. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap181014.html
   6. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_dust
   7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emission_nebula
   8. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horse
   9. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H_alpha
  10. https://periodic.lanl.gov/8.shtml
  11. https://periodic.lanl.gov/16.shtml
  12. https://youtu.be/ZLAPU_puGWg
  13. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lebanon
  14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap190318.html
  15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap161207.html
  16. https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/WISE/multimedia/gallery/pia14103.html
  17. http://heasarc.gsfc.nasa.gov/docs/snr.html
  18. https://i.imgur.com/aVkUL24.jpeg
  19. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareidolia
  20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap141209.html
  21. http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&biw=1293&bih=977&q=horsehead+site:apod.nasa.gov&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=isch
  22. https://chandra.harvard.edu/photo/cosmic_distance.html
  23. https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/constellations/en/
  24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap040304.html
  25. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220306.html
  26. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html
  27. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html
  28. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html
  29. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search
  30. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html
  31. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss
  32. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html
  33. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html
  34. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=220307
  35. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap220308.html
  36. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html
  37. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/
  38. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html
  39. http://www.astro.umd.edu/
  40. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply
  41. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html
  42. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/
  43. https://www.nasa.gov/
  44. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/
  45. http://www.mtu.edu/