![Messier 78 Region in Orion [Robotic, Bathurst, AUS] | by john.purvis](http://live.staticflickr.com/4899/46194385012_0f9a9253a6.jpg)
Messier 78 Region in Orion [Robotic, Bathurst, AUS]
38 x 3 minute sub-exposures taken with the iTelescope T68, 28cm aperture, f/2.2 scope in Australia.
This is part of the huge Orion molecular cloud of dust and gas which acts as a stellar nursery.
In the centre of the image, two young B-class stars (HD 38563A and HD 38563B) are reflected in the surrounding gas with an overlying dark arch.
Towards the left is another reflection nebula, NGC 2071.
NGC 2064 and NGC 2067 are the two bright zones above the dark arch.
Towards the lower right, some early stars are just managing to penetrate the darkness as red or yellow splotches. One of these splotches (triangular - just to right of two small stars) brightened considerably in 2004 - its thought a young star ignited at that time - the region is called McNeil's nebula after the amateur who first noticed it.
Top left has a deep red colour as the field of view starts to include hot emitting hydrogen atoms in supernova remnant Barnards loop.
There is another reflection nebula at top left but so far I can't find a reference number for it.
Infra-red imaging shows about 45 new stars in the early phases of development in this cloud (T-tauri stars or Herbig-Haro objects which are outflow jets from young forming stars).
Messier 78 Region in Orion [Robotic, Bathurst, AUS]
38 x 3 minute sub-exposures taken with the iTelescope T68, 28cm aperture, f/2.2 scope in Australia.
This is part of the huge Orion molecular cloud of dust and gas which acts as a stellar nursery.
In the centre of the image, two young B-class stars (HD 38563A and HD 38563B) are reflected in the surrounding gas with an overlying dark arch.
Towards the left is another reflection nebula, NGC 2071.
NGC 2064 and NGC 2067 are the two bright zones above the dark arch.
Towards the lower right, some early stars are just managing to penetrate the darkness as red or yellow splotches. One of these splotches (triangular - just to right of two small stars) brightened considerably in 2004 - its thought a young star ignited at that time - the region is called McNeil's nebula after the amateur who first noticed it.
Top left has a deep red colour as the field of view starts to include hot emitting hydrogen atoms in supernova remnant Barnards loop.
There is another reflection nebula at top left but so far I can't find a reference number for it.
Infra-red imaging shows about 45 new stars in the early phases of development in this cloud (T-tauri stars or Herbig-Haro objects which are outflow jets from young forming stars).