Orion Nebula (M42 / NGC 1976)
- Type: Emission nebula
- Distance: Approximately 1,344 light years from Earth
- Size: Around 24 light years across
- Apparent size: 65 x 60 arc minutes
- Apparent magnitude: 4.0
- Age: About 2 million years
- Constellation: Orion
The Orion Nebula is visible to the naked eye as the middle "star" in the sword of Orion. It is the closest star-forming region to Earth, making it an ideal subject for studies of star formation processes.
M42 is an example of a stellar nursery, where new stars are being born. Within the nebula, massive young stars are emitting intense ultraviolet light that's causing the surrounding gas to glow. Darker regions within the nebula are dense pockets of gas and dust where new stars are forming. The nebula is also home to the Trapezium Cluster, a tight group of very hot, massive young stars whose intense radiation has cleared a region within the nebula, making them visible from Earth.Details accurate to the best of my knowledge from research done in 2022.Not much integration time on this one and I'm contending with street lights. Check out the before and after! Pretty amazing what we can do so easily in post-processing anymore!
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