Definition of Orion Nebula

The Great Orion Nebula is an immense cloud of gas found within the constellation Orion and in astronomical nomenclature is known as M42. On clear nights it is visible without the need for telescopes. In ancient times it was believed to be a training stellar, but in 1610 the astronomer Nicholas Peiresc discovered that it was a nebula.

As their name suggests, nebulae are clouds of gas and dust contracted by the effect of gravity. They can be either bright or dark and are usually the remnants of stellar explosions.

Interesting facts about the Orion nebula

It is about 30 light years from diameter and is at a distance from Earth 1300 light years. Its immense cloud is made up mainly of hydrogen.

In this star-forming region, the Orion region, astronomers observe the birth of some stars. Among them, four young stars stand out that when joined together create an image in a trapezoidal shape (if the stars of the trapezoid did not exist, only a large dark cloud would be observed).

Inside it, astronomers have discovered a complex structure: massive stars with more Energy than the Sun, brown dwarfs, small nebulae and the so-called Trapezium Cluster (the four stars that frame the Orion nebula). Astronomers and astrophysicists consider M42 to be a " laboratory "ideal for unraveling the enigmas of the universe.

A scorpion chases Orion in the sky

The name of the constellations has as its main historical origin the world of Greek mythology. Thus, the 88 constellations that we know are related to some mythological legend.

According to the accounts of Homer and Hesiod, Orion was a giant who was dedicated to the hunting and that she starred in different love affairs. With his first wife he was very happy, but she was killed by the goddess Hera, who considered her a threat for the great beauty of it. Then Orion fell in love with another woman, but her father challenged him to marry her daughter: he had to eliminate dangerous animals from her kingdom.

Orion kept her promise but the father of his beloved was secretly in love with his daughter and took revenge on the hunter by gouging out his eyes. After regaining his vision following the directions of an oracle, he fell in love with Artemis, the goddess of hunting and virginity.

The hunter tried to force the goddess but she was enraged and threw a scorpion at him that chased him until it caused a deadly sting. This unfortunate end can be seen in the skies: to the east the constellation of Scorpio and to the west the constellation of Orion.

Photo: Fotolia - manuelhuss