M42_Pre_Processed_drizzle_integration_WB_Decon_Streched_2nd_Dnoise_MMT_LocalHist_Working_20191207
M42, Orion Nebula (portion of it). Meade 10in, f/10, Canon 5DMKIII full spectrum. Darks, flats, bias. Processed with PixInsight and Photoshop.
Properties and Evolution
M42 is located at a distance of 1,350 light years, with an uncertainty of about 2%, and is estimated to be 24 light years across.
But the Orion Nebula is just a small illuminated blister on the surface of a much larger cloud of gas and dust that extends over 10 degrees, covering half of the constellation Orion. This much larger nebula is known as the Orion Molecular Complex (OMC 1); we happen to see this structure approximately face-on. The Orion Molecular Cloud extends several hundreds of light-years, and includes Barnard's Loop, the Horsehead Nebula, the Flame Nebula, and the reflection nebula M 78.
M 42 is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The youngest and brightest stars we now see in the Orion Nebula are thought to be less than 100,000 years old. Some of these newborn stars are particularly massive, and emit large quantities of ionizing ultraviolet radiation. The ultraviolet light of these hot stars causes the nebula to glow by fluorescence.
The Trapezium multiple star complex is among the most recent products of star formation in the Orion Nebula. This small group of class O and B stars is also responsible for most of the ultraviolet radiation that ionizes the nebula. Two million years ago, this cluster may have been the home of the "runaway stars" AE Aurigae, 53 Arietis, and Mu Columbae, which are currently moving away from the nebula at velocities greater than 100 km/s.
Altogether the Orion Nebula contains about 700 stars in various stages of formation. Many of the faint stars around the Trapezium are so young that they are still radiating energy from gravitational contraction, and have not yet settled down as stable main sequence stars. Other studies of the Nebula have revealed the presence of about 150 protoplanetary disks, supporting the view that these objects are common around infant stars.
M42_Pre_Processed_drizzle_integration_WB_Decon_Streched_2nd_Dnoise_MMT_LocalHist_Working_20191207
M42, Orion Nebula (portion of it). Meade 10in, f/10, Canon 5DMKIII full spectrum. Darks, flats, bias. Processed with PixInsight and Photoshop.
Properties and Evolution
M42 is located at a distance of 1,350 light years, with an uncertainty of about 2%, and is estimated to be 24 light years across.
But the Orion Nebula is just a small illuminated blister on the surface of a much larger cloud of gas and dust that extends over 10 degrees, covering half of the constellation Orion. This much larger nebula is known as the Orion Molecular Complex (OMC 1); we happen to see this structure approximately face-on. The Orion Molecular Cloud extends several hundreds of light-years, and includes Barnard's Loop, the Horsehead Nebula, the Flame Nebula, and the reflection nebula M 78.
M 42 is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The youngest and brightest stars we now see in the Orion Nebula are thought to be less than 100,000 years old. Some of these newborn stars are particularly massive, and emit large quantities of ionizing ultraviolet radiation. The ultraviolet light of these hot stars causes the nebula to glow by fluorescence.
The Trapezium multiple star complex is among the most recent products of star formation in the Orion Nebula. This small group of class O and B stars is also responsible for most of the ultraviolet radiation that ionizes the nebula. Two million years ago, this cluster may have been the home of the "runaway stars" AE Aurigae, 53 Arietis, and Mu Columbae, which are currently moving away from the nebula at velocities greater than 100 km/s.
Altogether the Orion Nebula contains about 700 stars in various stages of formation. Many of the faint stars around the Trapezium are so young that they are still radiating energy from gravitational contraction, and have not yet settled down as stable main sequence stars. Other studies of the Nebula have revealed the presence of about 150 protoplanetary disks, supporting the view that these objects are common around infant stars.