Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Orion (Ori)  ·  Contains:  M 78  ·  NGC 2064  ·  NGC 2067  ·  NGC 2068  ·  NGC 2071  ·  VdB59  ·  VdB60
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M78 (vdB 59 and vdB 60), Gary Imm
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M78 (vdB 59 and vdB 60)

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M78 (vdB 59 and vdB 60), Gary Imm
Powered byPixInsight

M78 (vdB 59 and vdB 60)

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Description

This object is a lovely series of reflection nebulae located 1600 light years away in the constellation of Orion. To assist in my description below, I also attached an annotated version above.

The primary bright nebula in the center is M78. NGC 2067 is to the lower right of M78, separated by a dark lane. NGC 2064 is to the lower left of NGC 2067. NGC 2071 is the distinct reflection nebula to the upper right.

All of these areas are concentrations of interstellar dust dimly reflecting the bright blue light of nearby stars. This true color (RGB) image also shows the presence of some ionized hydrogen gas seen in the purplish edges of the nebulae.

As with most deep sky objects, there are other things in this image that are a bit harder to see. McNeil's Nebula is a variable reflection nebula that was discovered 15 years ago. It is near its low cycle in this image and is only faintly visible. To locate it, find the distinct pair of bright stars in the dust cloud, halfway between the image center and the lower left corner. McNeil's Nebula is the faint smudge located just below this pair of stars. Also, 17 Herbig–Haro (HH) objects have been discovered so far in this area. HH objects are small patches of nebulosity associated with newborn stars, formed when narrow jets of ejected stellar gas collide with nearby clouds of dust at high speed. These HH objects are most easily seen in the reddish-orange swirls of nebulae (I count 6) found in the darkest dust cloud towards the lower left corner of the image.

My favorite parts of this image are the varying shades of blue and purple found throughout the nebula, as well as the fantastic curving blobs of silhouetted dust that are illuminated across the entire image from lower left to upper right.

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    M78 (vdB 59 and vdB 60), Gary Imm
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  • M78 (vdB 59 and vdB 60), Gary Imm
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M78 (vdB 59 and vdB 60), Gary Imm