M 78

Messier 78 (NGC 2068) is a reflection nebula in the constellation of Orion and is the brightest visible reflection nebula. Charles Messier added it to his famous Catalog in 1780. This area if part of the Orion B molecular cloud complex, which contains adjacent nebulae NGC 2064, 2067, and 2071. In the 19th Century, Lord Rosse, with his massive telescope in Birr Castle, Ireland, thought he saw evidence of a spiral structure in the nebula. The nebula is energized by young, hot stars which give it its distinctive blue color. This image is a small stack of 442 x 10s integrations with the Seestar. I plan on capturing more data.