Object Analysis

The Monkey Head Nebula (NGC 2174) is an emission nebula located in the constellation Orion and is associated with the open star cluster NGC 2175. It is thought to be located about 6,400 light-years away from Earth. The nebula gets its name from its resemblance to the profile of a monkey's head in wide-field images.

It is a violent stellar nursery packed with young stars embedded within bright wisps of cosmic gas and dust. The nebula is rich in hydrogen gas, which is ionized by the ultraviolet radiation from the young stars, causing it to glow with a characteristic red hue.

Hubble Space Telescope images of this nebula reveal sharp mountains of dust and gas, carved by the ultraviolet light from nearby massive stars. These pillars are similar to the Pillars of Creation but are being eroded at a different rate.