Orion Nebula: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Oct. 26, 2026

News •

Stellar collision may explain why Orion Nebula's planet-forming disks appear younger than its stars • Oct. 23, 2026, 3:00 PM ET (Phys.org)

Photos

Orion Nebula (M42)

A plume of gas (lower right) in the Orion Nebula.This highly supersonic shock wave—moving at a speed of more than 238,000 km (148,000 miles) per hour—was produced by a beam of material emanating from a newly formed star.

star-forming region in the Orion Nebula

False-colour picture of a stellar formation region in the Orion Nebula (M42).The Orion Nebula is a giant stellar nursery, with over 700 young stars visible to astronomers. Red indicates the presence of nitrogen (mainly on the left), green indicates hydrogen, and blue indicates oxygen. This image was taken by the Hubble Space Telescope.

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