Barnard's Loop

Barnard's Loop (catalogue designation Sh 2-276) is an emission nebula in the constellation of Orion. It is part of the Orion molecular cloud complex which also contains the dark Horsehead and bright Orion nebulae. The loop takes the form of a large arc centered approximately on the Orion Nebula. The stars within the Orion Nebula are believed to be responsible for ionizing the loop.

The loop extends over about 10° as seen from Earth, covering much of Orion. It is best seen in long-exposure photographs, although observers under very dark skies may be able to see it with the naked eye.

It is about 440 pc away and 110 pc in length. It is thought to have originated in a supernova explosion about 2 million years ago, which may have also created several known runaway stars, including AE Aurigae, Mu Columbae and 53 Arietis, which are believed to have been part of a multiple star system in which one component exploded as a supernova.

Although this faint nebula was certainly observed by earlier astronomers, it is named after the pioneering astrophotographer E. E. Barnard who photographed it and published a description in 1894.

Image:Nebula-Barnard's-Loop.jpeg|Long exposure of Orion with red clouds of ionized hydrogen (H-alpha). The big bow on the left is Barnard's Loop. Image:Nebula-Barnard's-Loop-bw-inverse.jpeg|Previous photo of Barnard's Loop nebula in inverted black and white of the red channel Image:Orion Head to Toe.jpg|Barnard's Loop seen against the major stars and nebula of Orion