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Credit & Copyright: S. Lee, C. Tinney, & D. Malin,
AAO
Explanation:
An eerie blue glow and ominous columns of
dark dust highlight
M78, one of the brightest
reflection nebula
on the sky.
M78 is visible with a small telescope toward
the constellation of Orion.
The
dust
not only absorbs light, but also reflects the
light of several bright blue stars that
formed recently in the nebula.
The same type of scattering that colors the
daytime sky further enhances the blue color.
M78 is about five
light-years across and visible through a small telescope.
M78
appears above only as it was 1600 years ago,
however, because that is how long it takes
light to go from
there
to here.
M78
belongs to the larger
Orion Molecular Cloud Complex
that contains the
Great Nebula in Orion and the
Horsehead Nebula.
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NASA Web Site Statements, Warnings, and Disclaimers
NASA Official: Jay Norris. Specific rights apply.
A service of: LHEA at NASA / GSFC
& Michigan Tech. U.
Based on Astronomy Picture
Of the Day
Publications with keywords: reflection nebula - M 78
Publications with words: reflection nebula - M 78
See also:
- APOD: 2026 April 7 Á IC 4592: The Blue Horsehead Reflection Nebula
- APOD: 2026 February 2 Á Orion: The Running Man Nebula
- NGC 1333: Stellar Nursery in Perseus
- APOD: 2026 January 28 Á M78: Reflecting Blue in a Sea of Red
- NGC 7023: The Iris Nebula
- APOD: 2025 September 19 Á The NGC 6914 Complex
- Reflections on VdB 31