The Orion Nebula is a vast stellar nursery located some 1,600 light years from our solar system. The nebula is a region of intense star formation that is in the process of forming a star cluster. When observed in visible light, most of these young stars are hidden from view by the nebula itself. In this near-infrared image, centered on the nebula's Trapezium Cluster, many of these stars shine forth.
The most intense area of star formation is completely hidden in visible light images. High-mass stars are forming in this area. The image clearly shows the spectacular "explosive" outflow of gas emanating from this region (red/white area at right).
This cloud of gas and dust is visible to the unaided eye as a fuzzy patch that marks the middle star of the sword in the constellation of Orion. In 1769 the French comet hunter, Charles Messier, made it the forty second object, M 42, of his now famous catalog.
This false-color near-infrared image was captured using the Palomar Observatory's 200-inch (5.1-meter) Hale Telescope with its Wide-field Infrared Camera.
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