CyberWorld

The beautiful galaxy offers unlimited scope of exploration to mankind, equipped with the latest technologies. Many nebulas like Ant, Boomerang, Crab, Orion and Horsehead have fascinated the scientists, interested in astronomy and space explorations. Like all the other nebulas, the Horsehead Nebula, when seen in the recorded pictures, gives a small glimpse of the mesmerizing beauty of the universe. Here are a few basics of the nebular theory and some interesting facts about the Horsehead nebula.

Nebular Theory
Nebular theory is an account of the miraculous origin and evolution of the solar system. Being just an emphatic speculation, it cannot be demonstrated or proved by observations or mathematical equations. German philosopher Immanuel Kant, was the first person to propose the nebular hypothesis in 1775, and the theory was modified in 1796 by Pierre Laplace. The theory helped the scientists to form a hypothetical model of the star and planet formation. According to this theory, a nebula contracts under the force of gravity, eventually flattening into a spinning disk with a central bulge. A protostar forms at the nebula's center and the matter condenses around the protostar (bulged at the nebula's center). Planets were formed from the spinning matter in the disk. With condensing and cooling of the rotating nebula, its great mass became the Sun.

The nebular theory also explains the formation and rotation of the planets around the Sun. The nebular hypothesis has indicated general tendencies of the laws of nature, and has not been proved to be inconsistent with any fact. It is the only theory which accounts the origin and conservation of the sun's heat, and has also been useful for promoters of space research and exploration.

Facts about Horsehead Nebula
The Horsehead Nebula is a part of the optical nebula 1C434, and was first recorded in the year 1888 at the Harvard College Observatory. It is also known as Barnard 33 and is reminiscent of a horse's neck and head, against a glowing background. The nebula consists of a cloud of ionized gas, which is lit from within, by a number of newly formed stars. It is also observed that a dark cloud containing interstellar dust lies right in front of it. The dust absorbs light from these ionized clouds and small red spots seen at the base of the Horsehead tend to betray the presence of the hidden protostars.

The Horsehead Nebula is around 400 parsecs (1,300 light-years) far from the Sun and has a diameter of approximately 4 parsecs (13 light-years). Its calculated mass is approximately 250 solar masses, and the extremely dense clouds projecting in front of the ionized gas provide a beautiful pink glow to the appearance of the nebula. The red glow is because of the hydrogen gas and is ionized by the nearby bright Sigma Orionis star. Sigma Orionis is also responsible for exciting the emission nebula. The dark color of the Horsehead is because of the thick dust and dense clouds of gas emitted from the nebula are funneled by a strong magnetic field. Bright spots in the Horsehead Nebula's base are the young stars in the process of forming.

Horsehead Nebula attracts scientists from around the world by its captivating beauty and its interesting resemblance with the head of a horse.