Stirling Astronomical Society Gallery

This stunning image captures the Horsehead and Flame nebulae, part of the much larger Orion complex. The Flame nebula (lower left) is a bright emission region, and the distinctive Horsehead (just below and left of centre) is a dense cloud of darker gas obscuring the emission region behind. The bright star just above the Flame is Alnitak, the leftmost of the three stars in Orion's belt.