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M42-Orion nebula, plus Running man nebula

This is a large nebula in the constellation Orion. It can be seen with binoculars in the middle of the sword (hanging from the belt). It's about 1400 light years away, one of the nearest star forming regions to earth. A compact group of 4 bright stars called the Trapezium is the primary light source for this nebula. The Trapezium is just visible in this image, in the whitest part of the nebula. The red color is light emitted by ionized hydrogen (H-alpha). The blue color is blue light from massive blue stars, reflected by dust grains.

Taken from Santa Rosa, CA January 2014

Telescope: Skywatcher MN-190

Camera: Canon T2i, modified for Ha

Mount: Orion Atlas

Exposure 4 hours

Reprocessed September 2023

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Uploaded on September 16, 2023
Taken on January 21, 2014