M42 Orion Nebula
The Orion Nebula is one of the most famous nebulae and is easily visible with the naked eye from Earth. It appears in the "sword" of the constellation Orion.
Composite image by Hubble Space Telescope
Facts About M42 Orion Nebula:
- One of the brightest nebulae. The closest region of massive star formation to Earth.
- 24 light-years across.
- Contains a very young open cluster called the Trapezium.
- Contains approx 700 stars in various stages of formation.
- Astronomers have directly observed protoplanetary disks, brown dwarfs, turbulent motions gas, and photo-ionizing effects of massive nearby stars in the nebula.
- Part of a much larger nebula called the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.
Classification: Nebula, Diffuse
Names: Orion Nebula, Messier 42, M42, NGC 1976
Constellation: OrionDistance: 1.27e+16 km (1344 ly)