Object: M 78
The hauntingly beautiful reflection nebula M 78 in Orion is a complex mass of interstellar dust which shines in the scattered light of nearby early-B stars, providing this 3-D portal view in space. A number of catalog objects are visible in the above image. To the lower left is NGC 2071, the small “sister” to M78. M78, aka NGC 2068 is the large, bright nebula in the center. Above it and slightly to the left is the more obscure NGC 2067. Finally, in the upper right of the frame is tiny NGC 2064. Discovered by Pierre Mechain in 1780, this object lies about 1600 light years from Earth and spans nearly 4 light years across.
- Team: Dave Jurasevich and Howard Hedlund
- Filters: Tru-Balance LRGB Gen 2 filter set
- Exposure: L 28 x 1200 sec 1x1 bin, RGB 12 ea x 900 sec 1x1 bin
- Date: November 2014
- Software: CCDStack 2, Photoshop CS5