M 42

M42, the Orion Nebula, is a bright emission nebula and star-forming region in the constellation Orion, known since antiquity and cataloged by Charles Messier in 1771. It's the nearest massive H II region to Earth, ionized by the young Trapezium Cluster of hot O-type stars, spanning ~65×60 arcminutes with glowing gas, dust lanes, and protoplanetary disks.

Apparent magnitude is 4.0. Distance from Earth is 1,344 light-years. Alternate name: Great Orion Nebula.