unafraidunashamed:

the-star-stuff:

Stunning blue nebula

Reflection nebula Messier 78 is 1,350 light-years from Earth. The blue colour comes from reflected starlight.

Messier 78 is a fine example of a reflection nebula. The ultraviolet radiation from the stars that illuminate it is not intense enough to ionise the gas to make it glow — its dust particles simply reflect the starlight that falls on them.

Despite this, Messier 78 can easily be observed with a small telescope, being one of the brightest reflection nebulae in the sky. It lies about 1,350 light-years away in the direction of the constellation of Orion (The Hunter) and can be found northeast of the easternmost star of Orion’s belt.

Image credit: ESO and Igor Chekalin.

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    I would never be able to see this with my naked eye. IMPRESSIVE.

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    home to the most beautiful atmospheric pictures I’ve ever witnessed.

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    Messier 78 really is beautiful, especially when the skies are clear in December-January and there’s little light...

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