M78 and Orion Dust Reflections
Image Credit & Copyright: Marco Burali, Tiziano Capecchi, Marco Mancini (MTM observatory, Italy)
Explanation: In the vast
Orion Molecular Cloud complex, several bright blue nebulas are particularly apparent.
Pictured here are two of the most prominent
reflection nebulas -
dust clouds lit by the reflecting light of bright embedded
stars. The more famous nebula is
M78, in the image center, cataloged over 200 years ago. To its left is the lesser known
NGC 2071. Astronomers continue to
study these
reflection nebulas to
better understand how interior stars form. The
Orion complex lies about 1500
light-years distant, contains the
Orion and
Horsehead nebulas, and covers much of the
constellation of Orion.
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