Orion Nebula

This fresh look at the Orion Nebula (Messier 42) is courtesy of the ESO's La Silla Observatory and data unearthed during ESO's Hidden Treasures competition.

Credit: ESO and Igor Chekalin

Compare it with Hubble's highest resolution view from 2006 below.

Credit: NASA,ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team

Orion Nebula

This Spitzer Space Telescope image is of the Orion Nebula. Prominent features include the Trapezium star cluster, home to the hottest stars in the region (center right in the image below), and the dark areas center left are the densest parts of the dust cloud that is being shaped by the radiation and winds created by these young, energetic stars.

Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech

VISTA's Visible And Infrared View Of The Orion Nebula

The ESO's VISTA (Visible and Infrared Survey Telescope for Astronomy) survey telescope's powers are amply demonstrated in this new image of the Orion Nebula. VISTA's huge field of view enables it to image the entire Orion Nebula in both visible and infrared wavelengths, resulting in a composite image that is vast in its breadth and depth--not to mention breathtakingly beautiful.

Credit: ESO/J. Emerson/VISTA. Acknowledgment: Cambridge Astronomical Survey Unit

Atlas Of The Orion Nebula's Protoplanetary Discs

The Orion Nebula is home to fledgling planetary systems. Six are highlighted in this image and 30 proplyds, or protoplanetary discs, are individually imaged below.


Image credit: NASA, ESA and L. Ricci (ESO)