Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Orion (Ori)  ·  Contains:  M 78  ·  NGC 2064  ·  NGC 2067  ·  NGC 2068  ·  NGC 2071  ·  VdB59  ·  VdB60
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Messier 78, Barry Wilson
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Messier 78, Barry Wilson
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Description

Along with NGC 1333 I find this target very intriguing and a splendid example of multiple astrophysical phenomena with its reflection nebula and star-forming dense dust and gas structures.

From Wikipedia: "Messier 78 or M 78, also known as NGC 2068, is a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects that same year.[3]

M78 is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula of a group of nebulae that includes NGC 2064, NGC 2067 and NGC 2071. This group belongs to the Orion B molecular cloud complex and is about 1,350 light-years distant from Earth.[2] M78 is easily found in small telescopes as a hazy patch and involves two stars of 10th and 11th magnitude. These two B-type stars, HD 38563 A and HD 38563 B, are responsible for making the cloud of dust in M78 visible by reflecting their light.[4]

The M78 cloud contains a cluster of stars that is visible in the infrared.[2] Due to gravity, the molecular gas in the nebula has fragmented into a hierarchy of clumps,[2] the denser cores of which about to form stars with masses of up to 5 M☉.[5] About 45 variable stars of the T Tauri type,[6] young stars still in the process of formation as well as some 17[7] Herbig–Haro objects are known in M78."

Data acquisition: Barry Wilson & Steve Milne

Processing: Barry Wilson

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    Messier 78, Barry Wilson
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Messier 78, Barry Wilson

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Entre Encinas y Estrellas (e-EyE)