Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Orion (Ori)  ·  Contains:  36 Ori)  ·  41 Ori A)  ·  41 Ori C  ·  41 Ori D  ·  42 Ori)  ·  43 Ori)  ·  44 Ori)  ·  Great Orion Nebula  ·  IC 420  ·  Lower Sword  ·  M 42  ·  M 43  ·  Mairan's Nebula  ·  NGC 1973  ·  NGC 1975  ·  NGC 1976  ·  NGC 1977  ·  NGC 1980  ·  NGC 1981  ·  NGC 1982  ·  Orion Nebula  ·  The star 45 Ori  ·  The star Hatysa (ι Ori  ·  The star Mizan Batil I (c Ori  ·  The star Mizan Batil II (θ2 Ori  ·  The star Thabit (υ Ori  ·  The star Trapezium (θ1 Ori A  ·  The star θ1 Ori C  ·  The star θ1 Ori D  ·  Upper Sword  ·  And 1 more.
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M42 v2 Feb 2024, Bill Poplawski
M42 v2 Feb 2024
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M42 v2 Feb 2024

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
M42 v2 Feb 2024, Bill Poplawski
M42 v2 Feb 2024
Powered byPixInsight

M42 v2 Feb 2024

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Description

If you look up high in the southern sky the next few nights you may see what is believed to be the cosmic fire of creation by the Maya of Mesoamerica. Messier 42, also called the Orion Nebula, 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.

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M42 v2 Feb 2024, Bill Poplawski