This is M42, the Great Nebula in Orion. When you look at Orion in the sky, you can actually see this nebula naked-eye. Located between Orion's feet and belt are three stars that make up his sword. The middle "star" is actually this nebula. See Colors of a Warrior . Also see Warrior Blues.
About the Title:
This nebula, M42, is located in the constellationOrion, and is often referred to as "the Great Nebula in Orion". This is a true-color image, that approximates what one would actually see if close enough. Colors of a Warrior shows more of the nebula, but it is not "true" in the sense that, due to variations in surface brightness across the nebula, a human being would never be able to see that much of the nebula at one time. This image, however, has had no manipulation, so it is as true an image as one could get for the Great Nebula in Orion.
How we made this picture:
This is actually a composite of 16 different pictures, all taken on a CCD through a 16-inch ASKO telescope. We took about five exposures each with three different filters-- R, V, and B, which basically correspond to red, green, and blue, respectively. I merged the separate exposures for each color, and then merged the three colors to produce this beautiful, pastel image. This is a fairly close approximation of what the nebula would look like if we could get close enough to see it with our own eyes.
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