M42 · nebula

Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula 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.

RA05h 35m 16sDec−05° 23' 22"

Identity & coordinates

Identification

Primary designation: M42
All designations: M42 · NGC 1976 · Orion Nebula
Object type: Nebula
Constellation: Orion
Best viewing: Winter

Coordinates & physical

Right ascension (J2000): 05h 35m 16s
Declination (J2000): −05° 23' 22"
Apparent magnitude (V): —
Distance: —

III

Visibility tonight

In your gallery

January 18, 2026 · Backyard Observatory, Michigan

Orion's Sword

The trapezium burns through every preset. It always wants more dynamic range.

Integration

1h 36m

Subs

576 × 10s

Telescope

Celestron Origin

Camera

Sony IMX178 (built-in)

Bortle

6

Moon

New

View full capture

The science

The Orion Nebula 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 1,267.0 ± 5.4 light-years (388.5 ± 1.7 pc) 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.

Summary adapted from Wikipedia · CC-BY-SA-4.0