M78, Reflection Nebula in Orion (2026) |
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This busy area is located in the
constellation Orion, with reflection nebula Messier 78 at the
center. M78 is about 1,600 light-years away and not too far
(from our perspective) from the famous Horsehead Nebula.
Reflection nebulae such as M78 are dust
clouds that reflect the light from bright stars in their
vicinity. Reflection nebulae are blue in color for the same
reason that the Earth’s daytime sky is blue: the dust
preferentially scatters blue light in a manner similar to the
Earth’s atmosphere. This region is also the site of a recent amateur discovery. In February 2004, Jay McNeil of Paducah, Kentucky, was trying out a new telescope and CCD camera, and aimed this at M78 for a test shot. Being an astute observer, he spotted something in his image was not in other photos of the area. The object, which is a variable nebula, has been dubbed McNeil’s Nebula. In the 2011 version of this region, McNeil's Nebula is visible as a bright triangular patch below the two large reflection nebulae. In this rendition, that nebula is not visible. Can you spot the difference? Link to Astrobin version. |
| Constellation: Orion |
| When Visible: December - April |
| Distance: 1,300 Light-years |
| Date Imaged: October 2025 - February 2026 |
| Location: Starfront Observatories, Rockwood, TX |
| Exposure Details:
L: 158 x 3 Minutes Binned 1x1 R: 153 x 3 Minutes Binned 1x1 G: 157 x 3 Minutes Binned 1x1 B: 161 x 3 Minutes Binned 1x1 |
| Equipment Used: Takahashi FSQ-106N on a ZWO AM5N mount. ZWO ASI-2600MM Pro camera with 7 x 50mm filter wheel and Antlia Pro filters. Externally guided with a ZWO ASI224MC camera on a William Optics UniGuide 50 guide scope. |
| Acquisition Software : Nighttime Imaging 'N' Astronomy, PHD2 |
| Processing Software: MaximDL, PixInsight, Photoshop CS5, IrFanView |