Orion, nebula

The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way near Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the Terran night sky. M42 is located at a distance of 1,344 ± 20 light years from Terra and is the closest region of massive star formation. The M42 nebula is 24 light years across. It has a mass of about 2000 times the mass of Sol. Older texts frequently refer to the Orion Nebula as the Great Nebula in Orion or the Great Orion Nebula.

The Orion Nebula is one of the most scrutinized objects in the night sky, and is among the most intensely studied celestial features. The nebula has revealed much about the process of how stars and planetary systems are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust. Astronomers and astrophysicists have directly observed protoplanetary disks, brown dwarfs, intense and turbulent motions of the gas, and the photo-ionizing effects of massive nearby stars in the nebula.

With its heavy dust and gas concentrations, and strong radiation, entering this nebula is not recommended.

