M78 Nebula

NGC 2068 (also known as M78) is a reflection nebula in the Orion constellation. Hot young stars in the nebula's center illuminate and (to a much lesser extent) ionize the surrounding gas. Further out, dark clouds of dust prevent much of the scattered light from reaching us, creating a complex pattern of light and shadow. This star-forming region is only about 100,000 years old.
(12.0 arcmin x 8.8 arcmin image)
Image credit: SDSS Collaboration
Image distributed by: Fermilab Visual Media Services

This image is also available as a larger JPEG (1846 x 1352, 324 KB) or TIFF (5970 KB).

Media Contacts