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Credit & Copyright: Rogelio
Bernal Andreo
Explanation:
Cradled in cosmic dust and glowing hydrogen,
stellar
nurseries in Orion the
Hunter
lie at
the edge of giant molecular clouds some 1,500 light-years away.
Spanning about 30 degrees,
this breath-taking vista
stretches across the well-known constellation from
head to toe (left to right) and beyond.
At 1,500 light years away, the Great
Orion
Nebula is the closest large star forming region, here visible
just right and below center.
To its left are the
Horsehead Nebula,
M78, and
Orion's belt stars.
Sliding your cursor over the picture will also find
red giant Betelgeuse at the hunter's shoulder,
bright blue Rigel at
his foot,
the Witch Head Nebula above -- and illuminated by --
Rigel,
and the glowing Lambda Orionis
(Meissa) nebula on the left, near Orion's head.
Of course, the Orion Nebula and bright stars are
easy to see with the
unaided eye, but dust clouds and emission from the extensive interstellar
gas in this nebula-rich complex,
are too faint and much harder to record.
In this mosaic of broadband telescopic images, additional image
data acquired with a narrow
hydrogen alpha filter was used to
bring out the pervasive tendrils of energized
atomic hydrogen gas like in the arc of the giant
Barnard's Loop.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: Orion - star formation
Publications with words: Orion - star formation
See also:
- APOD: 2026 January 28 Á M78: Reflecting Blue in a Sea of Red
- APOD: 2026 January 27 Á Orions Treasures over Snowy Mountains
- APOD: 2025 December 28 Á NGC 1898: Globular Cluster in the Large Magellanic Cloud
- NGC 253: Dusty Island Universe
- APOD: 2025 October 21 Á IC 1805: The Heart Nebula
- Young Suns of NGC 7129
- APOD: 2025 December 9 Á The Heart of the Soul Nebula