The Orion Nebula is a star among astronomical objects, because this star cradle can already be seen with the naked eye as part of the constellation Orion. Instead of Easter eggs, young, bright stars are found in this cosmic nest
There is hardly a subject with as many spectacular shots as the M42 emission nebula in the constellation Orion. What appears to the naked eye as a washed-out light spot in the sword of the sky hunter turns out in telescopes as a magnificent and colorful work of art of the cosmos. The Orion Nebula, which is around 1300 light years away from us, is made to shine by the strong radiation of the approximately 5000 young stars that have formed in this star formation region.
However, despite its fame and long history of observation, the famous fog still surprises to this day. A few years ago, astronomers discovered that a black hole was apparently hidden in the thick gas and dust clouds. Its gravity causes the stars to move around it faster than could be explained by the visible mass in this region alone.
In addition, researchers have found that this star cradle does not only create massive stars, but also a surprising number of low-mass objects such as brown dwarfs. These objects are considered “failed stars” because their mass is not sufficient to permanently fuse with them inside, which means that the starlight does not ignite.