M78 as seen by Hubble — Hubble · Messier 78 · NASA, ESA, J. Muzerolle (Space Telescope Science Institute) and S. Megeath (University of Toledo)

Messier 78

Nebula in Orion · 1,600 light-years

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Type	Nebula
Constellation	Orion
Right ascension	5h 46m 46s
Declination	+0° 05′
Object distance	1,600 light-years
Apparent magnitude	8
Apparent size	4.5′ (arc-minutes)
Approx. true diameter	2.1 light-years across
Also known as	M78 · NGC 2068

Messier 78 is a nebula (also catalogued as NGC 2068) in Orion — a glowing cloud of interstellar gas and dust. It was recorded by Charles Messier in his famous catalogue of 110 deep-sky objects. It spans roughly 4.5 arc-minutes on the sky. At about magnitude 8, it shows up well in a small backyard telescope.

Although it appears about 4.5′ wide on the sky, its real span is roughly 2.1 light-years — the difference is a measure of how far away it lies.

Observing Messier 78

Messier 78 lies in the constellation Orion and is best placed in the evening sky around December. Its maximum altitude above the horizon depends on your latitude. Lying near the celestial equator, it can be seen from both hemispheres. A small backyard telescope will show it; binoculars may hint at it under dark skies. Note that the listed magnitude is spread across the whole object — diffuse galaxies and nebulae are often harder to see than the number alone suggests, so dark, moonless skies help a great deal.

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Sources

Position, magnitude and angular size from the OpenNGC catalogue (Mattia Verga).
Object identity cross-referenced with SIMBAD (CDS, Strasbourg).
Image credits and the original observation source are linked with each photograph.

Related objects

Orion Nebula — nebula
Ring Nebula — nebula
Eagle Nebula — nebula
Carina Nebula — nebula
Lagoon Nebula — nebula