Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Orion (Ori)  ·  Contains:  M 78  ·  NGC 2064  ·  NGC 2067  ·  NGC 2068  ·  NGC 2071  ·  PK204-13.1  ·  VdB59  ·  VdB60
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M78, 



    
        

            Joey Troy
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M78

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M78, 



    
        

            Joey Troy
Powered byPixInsight

M78

Equipment

Acquisition details

Dates:
Jan. 30, 2021 ·  Jan. 31, 2021
Frames:
28×600(4h 40′) (gain: 101.00) -10°C
Integration:
4h 40′
Darks:
10
Flats:
10
Bias:
10
Avg. Moon age:
17.05 days
Avg. Moon phase:
93.92%
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale:
3.00
Mean FWHM:
7.97

RA center: 05h46m49s.99

DEC center: +00°0417.8

Pixel scale: 4.484 arcsec/pixel

Orientation: -96.270 degrees

Field radius: 1.184 degrees

More info:Open 

Resolution: 1500x1168

File size: 10.0 MB

Locations: Backyard, Belen, NM, United States

Data source: Backyard

Description

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.

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. 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.

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

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M78, 



    
        

            Joey Troy