M42 - the Orion Nebula
M42 - the Orion Nebula
The famous Orion Nebula, M42, NGC1976 or simply the Orion Nebula is the brightest diffuse nebula in the sky.
It is located 1344 light years from Earth and is the closest known star-forming region to us. Because it is so bright (visible to the naked eye), it has several records to its name, e.g., it is the first photographed nebula (Henry Draper, 1880). Thanks to its studies, many details of the process of star and planet formation have been learned.
For me personally, a photo of M42 is like a maturity exam for an amateur astronomer. Basically, you don’t have to, but it’s appropriate to do. The material is just under 2 hours through a tiny (2") Vespera. Like many, I failed on the center - it’s a bit overexposed. Material collected in the Tuchola Forest in 2024.
Full resolution on astrobin.
