Celestial Objects

Orion Nebula

Star-Forming Nebula

Citation Formats

General Reference

Space and Astronomy Atlas. "Orion Nebula." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://space.interactiveatlas.org/celestial-objects/orion-nebula.

APA Style

Space and Astronomy Atlas. (n.d.). Orion Nebula. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://space.interactiveatlas.org/celestial-objects/orion-nebula

BibTeX

@misc{spaceandastronomyatlas-orion-nebula,
  author = {Space and Astronomy Atlas},
  title = {Orion Nebula},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://space.interactiveatlas.org/celestial-objects/orion-nebula},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

The Orion Nebula (Messier 42) is a vast stellar nursery about 1,500 light-years from Earth, the closest large star-forming region to the solar system, where astronomers can observe stars actively being born.

Facts

Object Type

Nebula 1

Sources

1. HubbleSite

Space Telescope Science Institute, for NASA and ESAscience.nasa.gov, Hubble Messier Catalog: Messier 42

Quote, science.nasa.gov, Hubble Messier Catalog: Messier 42

The nebula is only 1,500 light-years away, making it the closest large star-forming region to Earth.

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