Deep-Sky Object

Orion Nebula (M42)

Also known as M42 · NGC 1976 · GREAT ORION NEBULA

A stellar nursery glowing in Orion's sword.

Visible tonight?

Up now · alt 40° SW

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Rises: 21:05
Transit: 02:51
Sets: 08:41

Nearest large star-forming region to Earth — hundreds of new stars are being born inside.

Finding it

The middle 'star' in Orion's sword (hanging below the belt) is actually the nebula.

Observing

Binoculars show a fuzzy patch with the Trapezium stars. A telescope reveals luminous green-pink filaments.

Best viewing

Winter evenings

Observing from Chitral

Winter in Chitral is cold, clear and steady — the best combination for M42. It reaches roughly 48° altitude at transit here, well clear of the haze. Binoculars show the glow; a 150 mm telescope resolves the four Trapezium stars and the green-grey wings that photographs render red. Bring insulation for the eyepiece and for yourself: these are −10 °C nights at the higher sites.

History & culture

Curiously absent from Ptolemy and from Galileo's sketches, M42 was first described telescopically by Nicolas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc in 1610. It later became the first nebula ever photographed, by Henry Draper in 1880.