DIFFUSE NEBULAE
Messier 42 (NGC 1976) The Great Nebula in Orion
Probably the most photographed nebula in the sky, M 42, the Great Orion Nebula is deserving of such attention. It is a magnificent nebula. It is one of the brightest nebulae in the sky and one of the nearest star-forming regions to Earth. It is great to view in telescopes of every size and has probably been studied more than any other object in the sky. It is visible to the naked eye as a fuzzy patch surrounding Theta Orionis, the middle star in the Sword of Orion, just south of Orion’s belt. Charles Messier first noted the nebula in 1769 along with three of its central stars. M 42 is the finest example of a diffuse emission nebula visible to northern latitude observers, and is the brightest diffuse nebula in the sky, shining at 4th magnitude. It is over 1 degree in diameter and covers more than four times the area of a full moon. The nebula is 1350 light years away and estimated to have a diameter of approximately 24 light years.
This is a target I hope to visit with improved equipment/workflow and better processing. Capture details here.