Log scaling and false color used to extend dynamic range. Just another gorgeous image of the Orion Nebula. Map Printable Map More info. M43 is part of the Great Nebula complex in the sword of Orion. Dreyer describes it as very bright, very large, rich with a tail, and with some condensation.
Amateurs just look at the whole complex and say nothing.
Map Printable Map More info. This nebula surrounds Iota ORI, the end star on the sword of Orion. If you are like me, the first time you looked at NGC 1980, you didn't know that you were looking at an object that has a separate designation from the Great Orion Nebula. Image from the Digital Sky Survey with a considerable amount of logarithmic scaling. Smaller aperture shows a fairly even, gray disk.