Hubble reveals the dusty heart of the Flame Nebula. It is usually hidden from observation

The official name of the Flame Nebula is NGC 2024. It is a large star-forming region in the constellation Orion,

which is approximately 1,400 light years awayyears from Earth. The nebula is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, which includes such famous nebulae as the Horsehead Nebula and the Orion Nebula.

The new Hubble image shows dustythe heart of the nebula, where the star cluster is located. It is usually hidden from observation. Not far from this location (although not visible in the image) is the bright star Alnitak, the easternmost star in Orion's Belt (Zeta Orionis). Its radiation ionizes hydrogen gas in the Flame Nebula. As the gas begins to cool, it emits energy in the form of light, causing a visible glow behind the swirling wisps of dust.

The constellation Orion is one of the most visible in the night sky. It’s easy to spot him by his three blue and whitestars representing Orion's belt - Mintaka (delta Orion), which in Arabic means "belt", Alnilam (epsilon of Orion) - "pearl belt" and Alnitak (zeta of Orion) - "sash".  The brightest stars are Rigel, Betelgeuse and Bellatrix. The Great Nebula of Orion, visible to the naked eye, is located in Orion. 

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