Orion nebula,optical image. North is at left. The Orion nebula can be seen with the naked eye as a fuzzy patch in the constellation Orion. It comprises several nebulae,but the brightest is M42 (pink,centre right). M43 is the small round nebula at lower centre,separated from M42 by a thin blue band of gas. M42 and M43 glow pink as the hydrogen they contain is ionised by radiation from hot young stars that recently formed inside them. In the case of M42,the stars that light it up are a group of four known as the Trapezium (just right of centre). The blue nebula NGC 1977 is at left. This nebula is not ionised,instead reflecting the light of nearby blue stars. The nebulae lie around 1500 light years from Earth | |
Licence : | Droits gérés |
Crédit: | Science Photo Library / Gendler, Robert |
Taille de l’image : | 3842 px × 2628 px |
Model Release : | Non requis |
Property Release : | Non requis |
Restrictions : | - |