Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Orion (Ori)  ·  Contains:  Great Nebula in Orion  ·  M 42  ·  M 43  ·  NGC 1973  ·  NGC 1975  ·  NGC 1976  ·  NGC 1977  ·  NGC 1980  ·  NGC 1981  ·  NGC 1982  ·  The star 42Ori  ·  The star 45Ori  ·  The star θ1Ori  ·  The star θ2Ori  ·  The star ιOri
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M42 Orion Nebula in HaLRGB from a White Zone, Douglas J Struble
M42 Orion Nebula in HaLRGB from a White Zone
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M42 Orion Nebula in HaLRGB from a White Zone

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M42 Orion Nebula in HaLRGB from a White Zone, Douglas J Struble
M42 Orion Nebula in HaLRGB from a White Zone
Powered byPixInsight

M42 Orion Nebula in HaLRGB from a White Zone

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I have not tried capturing M42 since I first started astrophotography in 2016. I wanted to pick up some dark nebula, as it is usually impossible here in my heavily light polluted red zone.

Believed to be the cosmic fire of creation by the Maya of Mesoamerica, M42 blazes brightly in the constellation Orion. Popularly called the Orion Nebula, this stellar nursery has been known to many different cultures throughout human history. The nebula is only 1,500 light-years away, making it the closest large star-forming region to Earth and giving it a relatively bright apparent magnitude of 4. Because of its brightness and prominent location just below Orion’s belt, M42 can be spotted with the naked eye, while offering an excellent peek at stellar birth for those with telescopes. It is best observed during January.

The Mayan culture’s likening of the Orion Nebula to a cosmic fire of creation is very apt. The nebula is an enormous cloud of dust and gas where vast numbers of new stars are being forged. Its bright, central region is the home of four massive, young stars that shape the nebula. The four hefty stars are called the Trapezium because they are arranged in a trapezoidal pattern. Ultraviolet light unleashed by these stars is carving a cavity in the nebula and disrupting the growth of hundreds of smaller stars.

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M42 Orion Nebula in HaLRGB from a White Zone, Douglas J Struble

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Messier Objects