Messier 78

Click Image to Enlarge.

Image of Messier 78
a Reflection Nebula about 1350 light-years away
in the constellation of Orion.

Recorded by the Wide Field Imager camera
on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope
at the La Silla Observatory, Chile.

Reflection Nebulae are clouds of dust
which are simply reflecting the light
of a nearby star or stars.

~ ESO / Igor Chekalin