Explore the wonders of the universe with NASA’s Astronomy Picture of the Day! Each day, NASA features a fascinating image or video showcasing the beauty and mystery of space, from distant galaxies and colorful nebulae to planets, stars, and remarkable celestial events. Accompanied by an explanation from professional astronomers, each selection offers an opportunity to discover something new about the universe around us. The featured image updates automatically, so be sure to visit Scope This Out regularly for a fresh look at the cosmos!
M42: The Great Nebula in Orion
2026-10-26
Explanation: The Great Nebula in Orion, an immense, nearby starbirth region, is one of the most famous of all astronomical nebulas. Here, glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1500 light-years away. In the featured deep image in assigned colors highlighted by emission in hydrogen, wisps and sheets of dust and gas are particularly evident. The Great Nebula in Orion can be found with the unaided eye near the easily identifiable belt of three stars in the popular constellation Orion. In addition to housing a bright open cluster of stars known as the Trapezium, the Orion Nebula contains many stellar nurseries. These nurseries contain much hydrogen gas, hot young stars, proplyds, and stellar jets spewing material at high speeds. Also known as M42, the Orion Nebula spans about 40 light years and is located in the same spiral arm of our Galaxy as the Sun.
Tomorrow's picture: open space
Image credit: Roberto Palaia