Part of the Orion Cloud M42/M43/NGC 1977/NGC 2024/IC 434

Part of the Orion Cloud: M42 The Great Orion Nebula. An emission and reflection nebula, as well as a star-forming region. It is illuminated by the bright stars of the Trapezium Cluster — a young open star cluster located within the nebula. It has an apparent magnitude of about 4m, making it not only visible to the naked eye but also the brightest diffuse nebula and one of the brightest deep-sky objects. Discovery date: 1610. Diameter: 23 to 30 light-years. Apparent dimensions: 65′ × 60′. M43 de Mairan's Nebula. An emission nebula. Part of the "Great Orion Nebula". It is a region of ionized hydrogen where active star formation is taking place. Apparent dimensions: 20′ × 15′. NGC 1977 The Running Man Nebula. A blue reflection nebula in the constellation Orion, located half a degree from the Great Orion Nebula. Together with NGC 1973 and NGC 1975, it forms the same gas and dust cloud, reflecting light from nearby stars and intersected by dark dust clouds. IC 434 The Horsehead Nebula. The nebula appears as a dark patch in the shape of a horse's head against the red glow of hydrogen clouds behind it, illuminated by radiation from the nearby bright star (ζ Orionis). The dark foreground of the nebula is caused by the absorption of light by a dense layer of dust. The nebula was first discovered in 1888 on photographs from the Harvard Observatory. Diameter: 3.5 light-years. Apparent dimensions: 8′ × 6′. NGC 2024 The Flame Nebula. An emission nebula. Within the territory of the Flame Nebula resides a cluster with several hundred young stars. Their age is 200,000 years, while the older ones are 1.5 million years old. Discovery date: January 1, 1786. Apparent dimensions: 30′ × 30′. Diameter: 12 light-years.