M42: Orion Nebula Mosaic
Explanation:
The
Great Nebula in
Orion is one of the most interesting of all astronomical nebulae known.
Here fifteen
pictures from the
Hubble Space Telescope have been merged to show
the great expanse and diverse nature of the nebula. In addition to housing
a bright
open cluster of stars known as the
Trapezium, the Orion Nebula contains many
stellar nurseries. These nurseries contain
hydrogen gas,
hot young stars,
proplyds, and stellar
jets spewing material at high speeds. Much of
the filamentary structure visible in this image are actually shock waves -
fronts where fast moving material encounters slow moving gas. Some shock
waves are visible near one of the bright stars in the lower left of the
picture. The
Orion Nebula is located in the same spiral arm of
our Galaxy as is our
Sun. It takes light about 1500 years to
reach us from there.
Authors & editors:
Robert Nemiroff
(MTU) &
Jerry Bonnell
(USRA)
NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings,
and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris.
Specific
rights apply.
A service of:
LHEA at
NASA /
GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
