马头星云（也称为巴纳德33，在发射星云IC 434之内）是一个暗星云，位于猎户座内。这个星云就在猎户腰带最东边的参宿一南方，并且是非常巨大的猎户座分子云团的一部分。马头星云距离地球大约1,500光年，是最容易识别的星云之一，因为从地球看过去，黑暗的尘埃和旋转的气体构成的形状有如马首。这个形状在1888年第一次被注意到，哈佛大学天文台的威廉敏娜·弗莱明在拍摄的B2312号干版中发现了这个暗星云。.

增长的红光主要来自星云后面的氢气，它们是被邻近的亮星猎户座σ电离产生的。黑暗的马头星云主要是由浓厚的尘埃造成的，而马头的颈部下方在左边造成了阴影。离开星云的气体因为强大的磁场而形成漏斗状，马头星云基部的亮点都是正在形成过程的年轻恒星。

The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33) is a dark nebula in the constellation Orion. The nebula is located just to the south of the star Alnitak, which is farthest east on Orion's Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. The nebula was first recorded in 1888 by Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming on photographic plate B2312 taken at the Harvard College Observatory. The Horsehead Nebula is approximately 1500 light years from Earth. It is one of the most identifiable nebulae because of the shape of its swirling cloud of dark dust and gases, which bears some resemblance to a horse's head when viewed from Earth.