Posted on 08/13/2025 11:29:12 AM PDT by MtnClimber
Explanation: What lies in the heart of Orion? Trapezium: four bright stars, that can be found near the center of this sharp cosmic portrait. Gathered within a region about 1.5 light-years in radius, these stars dominate the core of the dense Orion Nebula Star Cluster. Ultraviolet ionizing radiation from the Trapezium stars, mostly from the brightest star Theta-1 Orionis C powers the complex star forming region's entire visible glow. About three million years old, the Orion Nebula Cluster was even more compact in its younger years and a dynamical study indicates that runaway stellar collisions at an earlier age may have formed a black hole with more than 100 times the mass of the Sun. The presence of a black hole within the cluster could explain the observed high velocities of the Trapezium stars. The Orion Nebula's distance of some 1,500 light-years make it one of the closest candidate black holes to Earth.
For more detail go to the link and click on the image for a high definition image. You can then move the magnifying glass cursor then click to zoom in and click again to zoom out. When zoomed in you can scan by moving the side bars on the bottom and right side of the image.
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Not only is Orion one of my favorites, it also became my salvation one evening. I was on a bicycle trip down the coast of Kalifornia. I had maps galore, but back then no map was perfect. Hwy 1, the coast road, would at times move inward off the actual coast. One evening it was getting dark. I was not “turned around” compass wise, but it was unfamiliar. Orion started to rise above the horizon, and I verified my location and the night’s campsite.
Orion is the master hunter, and camper.
One of my favorites, too. Showing the Nebula to people during a public observing session is rewarding for them and for me. First timers at the eyepiece are surprised to see something so bright and detailed. They’re even more surprised when I point out how easy it is to see even in skies with moderate light pollution.
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