One celestial body that never fails to amaze is the Nebula. The nebula pictured above is the Flame Nebula- about 1,500 light years away. The Nebula is located near the Orion constellation. The glow and dark dust lanes gives the nebula the fire-like appearance. The bright star Alnitak, of the Belt of Orion, shines the energetic light on the nebula. Alnitak does this by knocking electrons away from the hydrogen gas clouds that reside in the nebula -the electrons and ionized hydrogen then recombine. The Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) picture is a mixed composite of both visible and infrared light. The Flame Nebula is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, a star-forming region that also houses the Horsehead Nebula.
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