Orion Nebula (M 42)
M 42 in the Orion constellation
Distance: 1,344 light years from Earth
With a distance of about 1,344 light years from the Earth, the Orion Nebula (Messier 42, abbreviation: M 42) is the bright-
est diffuse nebula in the sky it is visible with the naked eye and a rewarding object for telescopes in all sizes, from the
smallest field glass to the largest earthbound observatories and the Hubble Space Telescope.
When talking about Orion, we're actually referring to the main part of a much larger cloud of hydrogen gas and dust,
which spreads out over the half of the Orion constellation. The expanse of this enormous cloud stretches several hun-
dred light years.
Ring Nebula in Lyra constellation (M 57)
M 57 in the Lyra constellation
Distance:
2,412 light years from Earth
The famous Ring Nebula (M 57) in the constellation of Lyra is often viewed as the prototype of a planetary nebula;
it is one of the magnificent features of the Northern Hemisphere's summer sky. Recent studies have shown that it is
probably comprised of a ring (torus) of brightly shining material that surrounds the central star (only visible with larger
telescopes), and not of a gas structure in the form of a sphere or an ellipse.
If you were to look at the Ring Nebula from the side, it would look like the Dumbbell Nebula (M27). With this object, we're
looking directly at the pole of the nebula.
Dumbbell Nebula in the Vulpecula (Fox) constellation (M 27)
M 27 in the Fox constellation
Distance:
1,360 light years from Earth
The Dumbbell Nebula (M 27) in the Fox constellation was the first planetary nebula ever discovered. On 12 July 1764,
Charles Messier discovered this new and fascinating class of objects. We see this object almost directly from its equa-
torial plane. If you could see the Dumbbell Nebula from one of its poles, it would probably reveal that it's in the shape
of a ring, and we would see something very similar to what we know from the Ring Nebula (M 57). In reasonably good
weather, we can see this object well even at small magnifications.
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