A mosaic of images can often be more valuable than individual images. After all, much of what the Horsehead Nebula reveals can’t be seen in visible light.
This nebula was observed by the Hubble Space Telescope in infrared light, revealing many stars throughout the pillar’s least dense regions. This is due to most of the light at shorter wavelengths, such as blue light, being unable to penetrate dust. Longer wavelengths of light can pierce through, allowing us to see objects that emit those wavelengths. All stars emit infrared light, which has a longer wavelength than visible light, giving us a unique view of the classic nebula.
The James Webb Space Telescope, which is capable of seeing at infrared ranges that Hubble cannot observe, will allow us to pore over even more of these hidden details as it observes the Horsehead Nebula.
Credit: NASA, ESA, and the Hubble Heritage Team (STScI/AURA).
https://t.me/astronomy
