Tucked inside the sword of Orion is this jewel of a star-forming nebula known as M42.

Sometimes visible to the naked eye, the M42 region is one of the sky’s celestial celebrities for amateur astronomers like Bill Uminski and Cyndi Kristopeit, who took this image with the assistance of a professional at the Kitt Peak National Observatory in Arizona.

The M42 region sits about 1,600 light-years from Earth inside the sword of the constellation Orion. The exciting pink hues mark the presence of hydrogen, while blue indicates oxygen.

Uminski and Kristopeit observed the M42 region as part of a nightly observing program led by Adam Block, who helps amateur skywatchers see and photograph objects with observatory telescopes that they would otherwise be unable to study.

[About the Kitt Peak Program]

-- Tariq Malik

Credit: Bill Uminski and Cyndi Kristopeit /Adam Block/NOAO/AURA/NSF