M42 - The Great Orion Nebula
The Great Orion Nebula, known as M42, is one of the most famous stellar nurseries in the sky. It lies about 1,500 light-years from Earth in the constellation Orion and is visible to the naked eye in a dark sky. It is the closest major star-forming region and is therefore extremely important to astronomers. In its center lies the Trapezium - a group of young hot stars that illuminate the nebula.
