The Horsehead Nebula (October 21 2012)
http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/astropix.html
This APOD describes the Horsehead Nebula, located in the belt of Orion. The red glow of the Nebula is caused by hydrogen gas which is ionized by Sigma Orionis, a nearby bright star. The Horsehead itself is actually dust that has collected over time, and shadows cast by the dust giving the figure more form. Apparently, the bright spots in the Horsehead are actually stars that are in the process of forming, which was about 1,500 years ago taking into account the speed of light and the distance of the Nebula from the Earth. It's amazing that such a detailed picture could be taken with such a small telescope, just a tenth under a meter in diameter!
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