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Orion Nebula in Visible Light

Noirlab_m42-aao-malin-optical_1024

noirlab_M42-AAO-Malin-Optical January 16th, 2013

Credit: Anglo-Australian Observatory/David Malin

This visible-light AAT image shows the Orion Nebula, a vast cloud of gas and dust where new stars are forming. Bright, glowing regions surround the young stars of the Orion Nebula Cluster, while dark clouds of dust appear as intricate lanes across the nebula. The nebula’s structure is shaped by intense radiation and stellar winds from its young, massive stars. Read more: https://esahubble.org/images/opo0205c/

Provider: NOIRLab

Image Source: https://noirlab.edu/public/images/M42-AAO-Malin-Optical/

Curator: NSF's NOIRLab, Tucson, AZ, USA

Image Use Policy: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

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Source TIFF (143 MB)

Image Details

Image Type: Observation
Object Name: M42 • M42/M43 • M43 • Orion Nebula
Subject - Milky Way: Nebula > Type > Star Formation; Nebula > Appearance > Dark; Star > Evolutionary Stage > Protostar

Noirlab_m42-aao-malin-optical_128

Position Details

Position (ICRS): RA = 5h 35m 9.7s; DEC = -5° 24’ 50.5”
Orientation: North is up
Field of View: 30.0 x 30.0 arcminutes
Constellation: Orion

Color Mapping

	Telescope	Spectral Band	Wavelength
	AAT (None)	Optical (None)	550.0 nm

Spectrum_base

Luminosity

Noirlab_m42-aao-malin-optical_1280

×

ID: M42-AAO-Malin-Optical
Subject Category: B.4.1.2. B.4.2.3. B.3.1.1.
Subject Name: M42, M42/M43, M43, Orion Nebula
Credits: Anglo-Australian Observatory/David Malin

Release Date: 2013-01-16
Lightyears
Redshift
Reference Url: https://noirlab.edu/public/images/M42-AAO-Malin-Optical/

Type: Observation
Image Quality: Good
Distance Notes

Facility: Anglo-Australian Telescope
Instrument: None
Color Assignment: Luminosity

Band: Optical
Bandpass: None
Central Wavelength: 550

Start Time
Integration Time
Dataset ID: None
Notes

Coordinate Frame: ICRS
Equinox: J2000
Reference Value: 83.7904845253715, -5.414041657198122
Reference Dimension: 5004.0, 5004.0

Reference Pixel: 2502.0, 2502.0
Scale: -9.9826965616774233E-05, 9.9826965616774233E-05
Rotation: 0.020000000000000063
Coordinate System Projection:: TAN

Quality: Position
FITS Header
Notes

Creator (Curator): NSF's NOIRLab
URL: https://noirlab.edu
Name
Email

Telephone
Address: 950 North Cherry Ave.
City: Tucson
State/Province: AZ

Postal Code: 85719
Country: USA
Rights: Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License

Publisher: NSF's NOIRLab
Publisher ID: noirlab
Resource ID: M42-AAO-Malin-Optical

Resource URL: https://noirlab.edu/public/resources/image/original/M42-AAO-Malin-Optical.tif
Related Resources

Metadata Date: 2026-11-01T09:26:46.357367
Metadata Version: 1.1

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There is no distance meta data in this image.

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NASA’s Universe of Learning materials are based upon work supported by NASA under cooperative agreement award number NNX16AC65A to the Space Telescope Science Institute, working in partnership with Caltech/IPAC, Center for Astrophysics | Harvard & Smithsonian, and NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory. The award is part of NASA’s Science Activation program, which strives to further enable NASA science experts and content into the learning environment more effectively and efficiently with learners of all ages.