Messier 78

Messier 78

Messier 78 is a nebula in the Inner Orion Spur. It lies right in front and slightly "above" the Barnard's Loop, if one approaches from Sol. The Orion and Running Man nebulae are right "below" it and the Loop covers the entire far half of the sky sphere.

Messier 78 generally follows the same layout as the Witch Head Nebula and Running Man Nebula, with two areas of luminous hot gas separated by a central dark bar, but is smaller and has a distinct sapphire blue color. There are no accessible stars in the nebula itself, but you can get some good views of it from the few closest surrounding systems.

Gallery

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  Messier 78 nebula
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  Messier 78