Astronomy Picture of the Day ·

M42: The Great Nebula in Orion

The Astronomy Picture of the Day for October 26, 2026 is “M42: The Great Nebula in Orion,” an image. The picture is copyrighted by its creator (Roberto Palaia). The original explanation runs about 153 words.

A starfield features a large and colorful nebula in its center, filled with dark dust and glowing gas in red and blue.
Credit & Copyright: Roberto Palaia Copyrighted Shown from science.nasa.gov. Not hosted by OpenOrbit.

From the explanation

“The Great Nebula in Orion, an immense, nearby starbirth region, is one of the most famous of all astronomical nebulas. Here, glowing gas surrounds hot young stars at the edge of an immense interstellar molecular cloud only 1500 light-years away.”

— APOD editors, October 26, 2026

Read the full explanation on science.nasa.gov

At a glance

Date
October 26, 2026
Type
Image
Credit
Credit & Copyright: Roberto Palaia
Copyright
Copyrighted by the credited creator. Ask the copyright holder before reusing it.
Explanation length
About 153 words

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Topics in this entry

OrionNebulae

Topics are matched from words in the title and explanation.

On this day: October 26 in other years

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Source

Copy taken Oct 28, 2026, 2:39 AM EDT. The image and explanation belong to their creators. OpenOrbit is not affiliated with or endorsed by NASA.