Orion Nebula

space · stars · cosmic nursery

Visible without telescope. The Orion Nebula is one of the brightest nebulae in the sky, so bright that you can actually see it with just your eyes on a clear night. It appears as the middle star in Orion's sword, which is a special part of the Orion constellation.

A stellar nursery. This nebula is the closest place to Earth where massive new stars are actively forming right now. Scientists study it to understand how stars are born inside these giant clouds of gas.

Enormous and heavy. The Orion Nebula stretches about 25 light-years across, which is huge, and contains about 2,000 times more material than our entire Sun. One light-year is the distance light travels in a year, so this nebula is truly massive.

Far but reachable. At about 1,267 light-years away, the Orion Nebula is one of Earth's closest cosmic neighbors. Light from this nebula has been traveling through space for over a thousand years to reach our eyes.