'Running Man' Races in Spectacular Nebula Photo

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Running Man Nebula NGC 1977 Miller
Bernard Miller took this photo of NGC 1977, the Running Man Nebula, Nov. 12, 2012 to Feb. 4, 2013 from Rancho Hidalgo, New Mexico. Miller used a TEC-140 (F7) telescope, AP900 GTO mount and a SBIG ST-8300M camera to take this image. (Image credit: Copyright 2013 Bernard Miller)

The Running Man Nebula sprints into focus in this beautiful night sky photo.

Astrophotographer Bernard Miller captured the image between Nov. 12, 2012 and Feb. 4, 2013, from Rancho Hidalgo, N.M.

This reflection nebula, also known as NGC 1977, is located in the constellation of Orion about 1,500 light years from Earth. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, or about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers). A reflection nebula doesn't emit any visible light on its own; instead it's illuminated by light from nearby stars.

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Nina Sen
Contributing Writer and Producer

Nina Sen is a freelance writer and producer who covered night sky photography and astronomy for Space.com. She began writing and producing content for Space.com in 2011 with a focus on story and image production, as well as amazing space photos captured by NASA telescopes and other missions. Her work also includes coverage of amazing images by astrophotographers that showcase the night sky's beauty.