Spectacular Orion Nebula View Captured by Amateur Astronomer (Photo)

Orion Nebula by Brian Davis
Brian Davis took this photo of the Orion Nebula from a driveway in the suburbs of Sumter, S.C., over 3.5 hours on Jan. 1, 2012 using a QSI 583wsg camera, Stellarvue SVR105 4" APO Refractor telescope, mounted on a Celestron CGE. Davis sent the image in to SPACE.com on Oct. 8. The entire region of the sword of Orion can be seen in the photo. The Running Man Nebula, or NGC 1977, is visible to the left of the image. (Image credit: Brian Davis)

The Orion Nebula takes center stage in this eye-popping image snapped by an amateur astronomer in South Carolina.

Astrophotographer Brian Davis shared this photo with SPACE.com last month, though he actually took the image during a 3.5-hour stargazing session from a driveway in the suburbs of Sumter, S.C., on Jan. 1, 2012. The iconic Running Man Nebula, or NGC 1977, is also visible toward the left of the image.

Davis used a QSI 583wsg camera, Stellarvue SVR105 4" APO Refractor telescope, mounted on a Celestron CGE. [See more spectacular photos of the Orion Nebula]

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Located roughly 1,500 light-years from Earth, the Orion Nebula stretches 40 light-years across and can be seen with the unaided eye near the belt of the three stars in the constellation Orion. A light-year is the distance light travels in one year, or about 6 trillion miles (10 trillion kilometers).  

The Orion Nebula is also known as Messier 42 or NGC 1976, the nebula’s striking colors seen in the region of star formation are created by oxygen and hydrogen gas emission.

To see more amazing night sky photos submitted by SPACE.com readers, visit our astrophotography archive.

Editor's note: If you have an amazing night sky photo you'd like to share for a possible story or image gallery, please contact managing editor Tariq Malik at spacephotos@space.com.

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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.