This false-color image from the Hubble Space Telescope, taken in infrared light, reveals two fledgling stars peeking out from their now-exposed nurseries.
The infrared light reveals a tapestry of Milky Way stars and distant galaxies that are usually concealed behind the gas and dust of the Horsehead Nebula.
Included is an inquiry-based classroom activity that focuses on the images and text.
This false-color image from the Hubble Space Telescope, taken in infrared light, reveals fledgling stars peeking out from their now-exposed nurseries. The infrared light reveals a tapestry of Milky Way stars and distant galaxies that are usually concealed behind the gas and dust of the Horsehead Nebula. Included is an inquiry-based classroom activity.
Teachers can use this lithograph as:
An example of how astronomers use different regions of the Electromagnetic Spectrum. Use the inquiry-based classroom activity, "In Search of the Electromagnetic Spectrum," which is included with a PDF file of the lithograph.
An engagement tool in an inquiry-based lesson. Have students study the images on the lithograph. Ask them to write down as many questions as possible about the features visible in the images. The students' questions can be used in a variety of ways. Here are a few suggestions:
A content reading tool. Have students read the back of the lithograph and write a quiz for the class.
Star Witness News: "A Horse of a Different Color"
HubbleSite press release: "Hubble Sees a Horsehead of a Different Color"
HubbleSite press release: "By Popular Demand: Hubble Observes the Horsehead Nebula"
HubbleSite feature: Infrared: Beyond the Visible
HubbleSite: Press Releases on Nebulae
Amazing Space resources by topic: Stars and stellar evolution