APOD: M42: Inside the Orion Nebula (2013 Mar 20)

[APOD Robot]

M42: Inside the Orion Nebula

Explanation: The Great Nebula in Orion, an immense, nearby starbirth region, is probably the most famous of all astronomical nebulas. Here, glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1500 light-years away. In the above deep image in assigned colors highlighted by emission in oxygen and hydrogen, wisps and sheets of dust and gas are particularly evident. The Great Nebula in Orion can be found with the unaided eye near the easily identifiable belt of three stars in the popular constellation Orion. In addition to housing a bright open cluster of stars known as the Trapezium, the [url=http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap130213.html" >Orion Nebula contains many <a href="http://archive.ncsa.uiuc.edu/Cyberia/Bima/StarForm.html]stellar nurseries[/url]. These nurseries contain much hydrogen gas, hot young stars, proplyds, and stellar jets spewing material at high speeds. Also known as M42, the Orion Nebula spans about 40 light years and is located in the same spiral arm of our Galaxy as the Sun.

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[Boomer12k]

My FAVORITE!!!!

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[Ann]

Oh, what a great image! Fantastically colorful and beautiful, and wonderfully detailed! Look at the power it conveys - the stars in the Trapezium are not to be trifled with!

Ann

[ShaileshS]

Hmmm .. I just noticed, Orion nebula got featured 3 times within 6 weeks (today, Feb 13th, Feb 3rd) and half the information and links below the image are repeated in all 3. Not much value add ? There are tons of other topics and images ..

[saturno2]

This is a very good image.

[BDanielMayfield]

This is a very good image.

Indeed it is a very good image. So good in fact that it puts me in mind of James 1:17 which reads, “Every good gift and perfect present is from above, for it comes down from the Father of the celestial lights …”

To everyone involved in the making of this APOD, thanks.

[moonstruck]

Hmmm .. I just noticed, Orion nebula got featured 3 times within 6 weeks (today, Feb 13th, Feb 3rd) and half the information and links below the image are repeated in all 3. Not much value add ? There are tons of other topics and images ..

To have "just noticed" it looks like you did an awfully lot of research

[Ron-Astro Pharmacist]

Interesting that it hasn't been saddled with a common name ; the Orchid Nebula for discussion's sake. I know objects in the vicinity have names but I have never been aware of an attempt to name the Orion Nebula other than it's constelation's namesake. Any reason? Ron

[Chris Peterson]

Interesting that it hasn't been saddled with a common name ; the Orchid Nebula for discussion's sake. :?: I know objects in the vicinity have names but I have never been aware of an attempt to name the Orion Nebula other than it's constelation's namesake. Any reason? Ron

Most named objects got those names from their visual appearance in telescopes (where everything looks similar- little gray fuzzy blobs- and a fair degree of pareidolia is involved). They were first identified by telescope. But the Orion Nebula is an easy naked eye object, known since antiquity. So it makes sense that it would take its name from the constellation it is found in. Another example of this is the Great Cluster in Hercules.

[Psnarf]

The link to the Vernal Equinox confused me at first, until I noticed that the page was for the Autumnal Equinox. Feel free to delete this message after the link correction.

[LocalColor]

Thank you Reinhold Wittich for a lovely view of Orion's Nebula. Your website is also very nice.

[Anthony Barreiro]

The link to the Vernal Equinox confused me at first, until I noticed that the page was for the Autumnal Equinox. Feel free to delete this message after the link correction.

As stated in the caption for the composite image of the paths of the Sun on the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, and Summer Solstice, the Sun follows the same path across the sky on both equinoxes, so this picture of the Sun's path on the Vernal Equinox works equally well for the Autumnal Equinox. Equinoxes are very interesting days! Happy Spring to you all.

P.S. This image of the Orion Nebula looks like an expressionist painting!

[Chris Peterson]

As stated in the caption for the composite image of the paths of the Sun on the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, and Summer Solstice, the Sun follows the same path across the sky on both equinoxes, so this picture of the Sun's path on the Vernal Equinox works equally well for the Autumnal Equinox. Equinoxes are very interesting days! Happy Spring to you all.

Those terms are now rather dated, the preferred ones being the March and September equinoxes, and the June and December solstices. For our many friends in the Southern Hemisphere, they are looking today at the beginning of their autumn season, not spring.

(Technically, the Sun can't possibly follow the same path on both equinoxes, because that path is described by about 12 hours of time, and the equinox is marked by a single instant. So the paths are very close- certainly the same to non-instrumental observation- but not identical at all.)

[Anthony Barreiro]

As stated in the caption for the composite image of the paths of the Sun on the Winter Solstice, Spring Equinox, and Summer Solstice, the Sun follows the same path across the sky on both equinoxes, so this picture of the Sun's path on the Vernal Equinox works equally well for the Autumnal Equinox. Equinoxes are very interesting days! Happy Spring to you all.

Those terms are now rather dated, the preferred ones being the March and September equinoxes, and the June and December solstices. For our many friends in the Southern Hemisphere, they are looking today at the beginning of their autumn season, not spring.

(Technically, the Sun can't possibly follow the same path on both equinoxes, because that path is described by about 12 hours of time, and the equinox is marked by a single instant. So the paths are very close- certainly the same to non-instrumental observation- but not identical at all.)

It was close enough for our neolithic ancestors, so it's close enough for me. And I continue to consider today the Spring or Vernal Equinox, as our awareness of the seasons long preceded our current month names. I will however amend my good wishes: Happy Spring to everyone north of the tropic of Cancer, and best wishes for an abundant harvest to our southern neighbors.

[Chris Peterson]

And I continue to consider today the Spring or Vernal Equinox, as our awareness of the seasons long preceded our current month names.

That's true... but different parts of the world experience different seasons. Although referring to this equinox as "vernal" isn't astronomically inaccurate, since it occurs where the Sun intersects the vernal point (itself a north-centric definition, of course), calling it the spring equinox is pretty much an error... especially in an international forum like this. "Vernal equinox" isn't ambiguous; "spring equinox" is.

[Anthony Barreiro]

And I continue to consider today the Spring or Vernal Equinox, as our awareness of the seasons long preceded our current month names.

That's true... but different parts of the world experience different seasons. Although referring to this equinox as "vernal" isn't astronomically inaccurate, since it occurs where the Sun intersects the vernal point (itself a north-centric definition, of course), calling it the spring equinox is pretty much an error... especially in an international forum like this. "Vernal equinox" isn't ambiguous; "spring equinox" is.

vernal  adjective
1. of or pertaining to spring: vernal sunshine.
2. appearing or occurring in spring: vernal migratory movements.
3. appropriate to or suggesting spring; springlike: vernal greenery.
4. belonging to or characteristic of youth: vernal longings.

Origin:
1525–35; < Latin vernālis, equivalent to vern ( us ) of spring ( vēr spring + -nus adj. suffix) + -ālis -al1

[Chris Peterson]

vernal  adjective
1. of or pertaining to spring: vernal sunshine.
2. appearing or occurring in spring: vernal migratory movements.
3. appropriate to or suggesting spring; springlike: vernal greenery.
4. belonging to or characteristic of youth: vernal longings.

Origin:
1525–35; < Latin vernālis, equivalent to vern ( us ) of spring ( vēr spring + -nus adj. suffix) + -ālis -al1

When we say "vernal equinox", we are not directly referring to spring (except in an etymological sense). The term refers to the vernal point, which is astronomically unambiguous. There is only one vernal equinox. However, there are two spring equinoxes, which is why that term is ambiguous.

[Boomer12k]

"Spring has sprung, the grass has ris, I wonder where the girls is?"

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[Anthony Barreiro]

"Spring has sprung, the grass has ris, I wonder where the girls is?"

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Yes indeed, Lenten ys come with loue to toune (at least in the northern hemisphere)! Is it too early to start celebrating April Fools Day?

[stargene]

One of the most beautiful nebulas. Has anyone noticed that it resembles a vast bird
(~Firebird?), with head and beak on the upper left, facing left with shadowed eye...
and feathery wings curving away to the upper right and lower center-right? The
leading edges of its 'wings' follow nearly a common circular arc. Seems somehow
fitting, since the whole region is a stellar nursery, full of newborn star-eggs.

[DavidLeodis]

I wonder if anyone else cannot open the "above deep image" link in the explanation to the APOD. I've tried many times today but always get a message "The requested URL was not found on this server. The link on the referring page seems to be wrong or outdated. Please inform the author of that page about the error". It's not important to me so I shall not contact the author (presumably Reinhold Wittich) but I would like to know if it is a general problem or perhaps just my browser.

[rstevenson]

Link is broken, confirmed. However, I found what perhaps is the same image here: http://wp1154772.wp381.webpack.hosteuro ... age_id=563.

Rob

[DavidLeodis]

Link is broken, confirmed. However, I found what perhaps is the same image here: http://wp1154772.wp381.webpack.hosteuro ... age_id=563.

Rob

Wow that was a quick response. Thanks for that Rob, which is appreciated.

I like to know when and where APOD images were taken but sadly (as far as I can tell) that information does not seem to be available with this image in Reinhold Wittich's website.

[Mike Swanson]

What percentage of the Orion Nebula is artistic (doctored) compared to an actual photo?

[stephen63]

What percentage of the Orion Nebula is artistic (doctored) compared to an actual photo?

Any part of the image that has a non linear stretch applied to it is artistic (doctored). However, what you see in the image was picked up by the camera, so where do you want to draw the line?