Astronomy Picture of the Day [1]Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2023 March 10 [2]See Explanation. Clicking on the picture will download the highest resolution version available. Orion and the Running Man Image Credit & [3]Copyright: [4]Abraham Jones Explanation: Few cosmic vistas excite the imagination like [5]The Great Nebula in Orion. Visible as a faint [6]celestial smudge to the naked-eye, the nearest large star-forming region sprawls across [7]this sharp telescopic image, recorded on a cold January night in dark skies from West Virginia, planet Earth. Also known as [8]M42, the Orion Nebula's glowing gas surrounds [9]hot, young stars. About 40 light-years across, it lies at the edge of an immense interstellar [10]molecular cloud only 1,500 light-years away within the same spiral arm of our Milky Way galaxy as the Sun. Along with dusty bluish reflection nebula [11]NGC 1977 and friends near the top of the frame, the eye-catching nebulae represent only a small fraction of our [12]galactic neighborhood's wealth of star-forming material. Within the well-studied stellar nursery, astronomers have also identified what appear to be numerous [13]infant solar systems. Tomorrow's picture: 3D Bennu __________________________________________________________________ [14]< | [15]Archive | [16]Submissions | [17]Index | [18]Search | [19]Calendar | [20]RSS | [21]Education | [22]About APOD | [23]Discuss | [24]> __________________________________________________________________ Authors & editors: [25]Robert Nemiroff ([26]MTU) & [27]Jerry Bonnell ([28]UMCP) NASA Official: Phillip Newman [29]Specific rights apply. [30]NASA Web Privacy Policy and Important Notices A service of: [31]ASD at [32]NASA / [33]GSFC, [34]NASA Science Activation & [35]Michigan Tech. U. References 1. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 2. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/image/2303/my_hero_rot.jpg 3. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 4. https://www.instagram.com/diy_nasa/ 5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_Nebula 6. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap150326.html 7. https://www.astrobin.com/viifgu/ 8. https://www.astrobin.com/viifgu/ 9. https://hubblesite.org/contents/media/images/2000/19/966-Image.html 10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_molecular_cloud_complex 11. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230202.html 12. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/solar-system/beyond/overview/ 13. https://esahubble.org/images/opo9545l/ 14. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230309.html 15. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/archivepix.html 16. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/apsubmit2015.html 17. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/aptree.html 18. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/cgi-bin/apod/apod_search 19. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/calendar/allyears.html 20. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod.rss 21. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/edlinks.html 22. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html 23. http://asterisk.apod.com/discuss_apod.php?date=230310 24. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap230311.html 25. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/faculty/Nemiroff.html 26. http://www.phy.mtu.edu/ 27. https://antwrp.gsfc.nasa.gov/htmltest/jbonnell/www/bonnell.html 28. http://www.astro.umd.edu/ 29. https://apod.nasa.gov/apod/lib/about_apod.html#srapply 30. https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/HP_Privacy.html 31. https://astrophysics.gsfc.nasa.gov/ 32. https://www.nasa.gov/ 33. https://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/ 34. https://science.nasa.gov/learners 35. http://www.mtu.edu/