The Orion Nebula also known as Messier 42, M42, and NGC 1976 is a diffuse nebula in the Milky Way situated south of Orion’s Belt in the constellation of Orion, 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. It is just over 1,200 light-years away and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. M42 is estimated to be 25 light-years across. It has a mass of about 2,000 times that of the Sun. Older texts frequently refer to the Orion Nebula as the Great Nebula in Orion or the Great Orion Nebula.
Object Designations: Messier 42, M42, and NGC 1976
Also known as: Orion Nebula
Constellation: Orion
Object Type: Reflection/Emission Nebulay
Distance: 1,267 light-years away
Magnitude: 4
Discovery: Giovanni Battista Hodierna – 1659
Telescope: Apertura CarbonStar 200 Imaging Newtonian 800mm / F4
Camera: ZWO ASI2600 MC Pro
Mount: Celestron AVX – With CPWI Software
Guiding: Apertura 32mm Guide Scope with a ZWO ASI120MM Camera and PHD2
SharpCap Imaging Software
