The Orion Nebula
Deep Space Observation
Image of the Orion Nebula taken by Justin Stout from DSpOC using an IPhone and an Orion SkyQuest XXG GoTo Telescope.
Messier 42, also known as the Orion Nebula, is an extremely bright nebula within the Milky Way Galaxy. The nebula is located around 1500 light years away from Earth, within the Orion Constellation.1
Image of the Orion Nebula captured by NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. (NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team).1
From the right location on Earth with very little light pollution, it is possible to see the Orion Nebula with the naked eye.1 NASA states, “The Orion nebula, lying at the center of the triangle, is interpreted by the Maya as the cosmic fire of creation surrounded by smoke. This metaphor of a cosmic fire of creation is apt. The Orion nebula is an enormous cloud of dust and gas where vast numbers of new stars are being forged.”2
Delaware Space Observation Center 
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