
The Horsehead Nebula is a dark cloud of cold gas and dust, silhouetted against a glowing backdrop, whose unmistakable shape resembles a horse's head rearing up from the cosmic surf. One of the most photographed and instantly recognizable objects in the entire sky, it sits in the constellation Orion just below the belt star Alnitak and was famously imaged by Hubble for the telescope's 23rd anniversary.