M42 and M43 The Great Orion Nebula

M42 and M43 The Great Orion Nebula

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Also known as:The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976)
Right ascension: 05h 35m
Declination: -05° 23′ 28”
Constellation: Orion
Date/time: 2010.01.24  around 17:00 UT
Equipment: 7×50 Tento Binoculars
Mount : WDF4  Tripod
Seeing: 8/10
Transparency: 3/5
Temperature:  could
Humidity: low
Wind: none
Location: Zákány, Hungary N46°14′ 59,2″ E16°57′ 15,3″
Observer: Bognár Tamás

Digital sketch made with GIMP, based on a raw pencil sketch.

(Note: if the sketch does look too dark on your monitor, try to darken the room.)

The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orion’s Belt in the constellation of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of 1,344 ± 20 light years and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The M42 nebula is estimated to be 24 light years across. It has a mass of about 2000 times the mass of the Sun. Older texts frequently refer to the Orion Nebula as the Great Nebula in Orion or the Great Orion Nebula.
The star appears fuzzy to sharp-eyed observers, and the nebulosity is obvious through binoculars or a smalltelescope.

This drawing is on the  ASOD web page : http://www.asod.info/?p=4876