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The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way, being south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion, [b] and is known as the middle "star" in the "sword" of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky with an apparent magnitude of 4.0.
Nov 25, 2021 · The Orion Nebula, also known as Messier 42 (or M42 for short), is the nearest star-forming region to Earth, located approximately 1,350 light-years away and is about 2 million years old according ...
Nov 4, 2021 · The Orion Nebula — a formation of dust, hydrogen, helium and other ionized gases rather than a star — is the middle "star" in Orion's sword, which hangs off of Orion's Belt.
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.
- Orion means winter is coming. Orion can be seen by observers located between +85° and -75° of latitude, with the constellation’s appearance at night signaling that winter is coming.
- Belongs to the Orion family of constellations. The Orion constellation is pictured as a giant hunter with a shield in his hand, a belt and sword around his waist, and surrounded by his hunting dogs Canis Major and Canis Minor.
- Orion mostly contains young blue supergiants. All of the seven main Orion constellation stars, with the exception of the red super giant Betelgeuse are young blue supergiant stars.
- Orion contains 2 of the brightest stars in the night sky. Orion contains 2 of the 10 brightest stars in the night sky. The constellation of Orion’s brightest star is Rigel, which is the night sky’s 7th brightest star and represents the hunter’s left knee.
Oct 3, 2024 · Orion Nebula, (catalog numbers NGC 1976 and M 42), bright diffuse nebula, faintly visible to the unaided eye in the sword of the hunter’s figure in the constellation Orion. The nebula lies about 1,350 light-years from Earth and contains hundreds of very hot (O-type) young stars clustered about a nexus of four massive stars known as the ...
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Aug 21, 2013 · The Orion Nebula is a famous diffuse emission/reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion. It is also known as Messier 42 (M42) or the Great Orion Nebula. Its designation in the New General Catalogue is NGC 1976. The brightest stars in the nebula form an asterism known as the Trapezium Cluster. These young stars are responsible for ...
