Orion nebula

Luminous cloud of gas and dust 1,500 light years away, in the constellation Orion, from which stars are forming. It is about 15 light years in diameter, and contains enough gas to make a cluster of thousands of stars.

At the nebula's centre is a group of hot young stars, called the Trapezium, which make the surrounding gas glow. The nebula is visible to the naked eye as a misty patch below the belt of Orion.