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Sky-Tonight.com / Nebulae / M42

Orion Nebula (M42) Observation Details

M42

M42 Daily Motion


M42 will be visible until April, 7, when it will move too close to the Sun. During this time, its proximity to the Sun will cause it to disappear from the night sky, making it unobservable for a while.

M42 Visibility Timetable on March 28

M42 Rise and Set Timetable

TimeElevation
Moon Rise, 6% illuminated06:06-56°
Moon Set17:3544°
M42 transit18:2246°
Sunset19:2743°
Civil sunset19:5541°
Astrosession begin20:5933°
M42 set00:04
Astrosession end05:29-54°
M42 rise12:37

Track M42 Position Throughout the Night

← Fri, 28 March 2025 →

Elevation (degrees)
Time
Altitude
Azimuth
Shift the map to change the time and observe M42 changing position in the night sky.

M42 - Orion Nebula

The Orion Nebula (M42) is a diffuse nebula located in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by Nicholas-Claude Fabri de Peiresc in 1610 and later cataloged by Charles Messier in 1769. M42 is one of the brightest nebulae in the sky and can be seen with the naked eye.

M42 spans about 24 light-years across and contains a rich population of young stars, including the Trapezium, a group of four massive stars. The nebula is approximately 1,344 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 4.0, making it a popular target for amateur astronomers.

M42 Image Gallery

DSS Blue

M42 photo taken with blue filter
These images are valuable for highlighting the presence of younger, hotter stars, which emit more light in the blue wavelengths.

DSS Red

M42 photo taken with red filter
These images are excellent for detecting older, cooler stars, as well as emission nebulae, which glow primarily in the red due to hydrogen alpha emissions.

DSS Near-Infrared

M42 photo taken with Near-Infrared filter
These images can penetrate dust clouds that obscure visible light, revealing structures and objects hidden within.

DSS Composite image

M42 color image
DSS Color images are composite images created by combining the blue, red, and often near-infrared images to produce a full-color representation.

The photos are taken from the Digitized Sky Survey 2 (DSS2), which was produced at the Space Telescope Science Institute (STScI) under NASA contract, using data from the UK Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), the European Southern Observatory (ESO), and the National Geographic Society-Palomar Observatory Sky Survey (POSS II).

Special thanks to the National Optical Astronomy Observatory (NOAO), the Royal Observatory, Edinburgh, and the California Institute of Technology for their significant contributions.

Finder Chart for M42

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Object nameM42
Field of view
Limiting magnitude
M42 coordinates5.58791, -5.38967
Center coordinates5.58791, -5.38967

M42 Passage Through Night

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Current position of M42

Time06:11
Latitude39.0469
Longitude-77.4903
M42 elevation-56°
M42 Azimuth4°
Here you can see the current position of the M42 on the map, as well as its positions for rise and set. This tool allows you to track the M42's movement throughout the night, providing you with accurate and up-to-date information.

Annual motion of M42

Time
DateSat, 29 March 2025
Twighlight start20:56
Twighlight end05:23
Twighlight duration8h 26m
Rise12:37
Set00:00
Elevation at transit46°
Transit time18:18
Equatorial coordinatesRA: 05h 35m 16s", Dec: -5° 23' 22s
Magnitude4
ConstellationOrion
The graph illustrates the annual visibility pattern of a M42, providing a comprehensive overview of its daily appearances and transit times throughout the year.
The graph is structured with the vertical axis showing the hours of the day, ranging from 12 AM to 12 AM the next day, while the horizontal axis spans each day of the year.
The reddish shaded area indicates the periods when the M42 is above the horizon, visible to observers. The white line marks the times when the celestial object reaches its highest point in the sky each day, known as the transit.

Data Credits

The nebulae information on this page is sourced from the OpenNGC project, developed by Matteo Verga. OpenNGC provides detailed data on the NGC catalog, which is a valuable resource for exploring deep-sky objects such as nebulae.

For more details or to contribute to OpenNGC, visit the official GitHub repository: OpenNGC on GitHub.