NASA Releases Picture Of Orion Nebula, Netizens Are Mesmerized

A mesmerizing picture of the Orion Nebula, which is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth, was shared by NASA recently and it has left netizens captivated in its beauty. The Orion Nebula, also known as M42, is estimated to be 24 light years across. It has a mass of about 2,000 times that of the Sun.

NASA Releases Picture Of Orion Nebula, Netizens Are Mesmerized

The picture of Orion Nebula shows a burst of colours with glimmering stars, and soft clouds of dust and gas.

NASA shared the photo on its Instagram with the caption: “Fun fact: inside this nearby stellar nursery is an action-packed bar! The Orion Bar, that is. Located diagonally in the lower left quadrant of this image, the Orion Bar formed by young, massive stars blasting ultraviolet light at the cloud of dust and gas from which they’re born, sculpting it into the shape of a bar."

“More like a layered cake than your favorite watering hole, this location’s different zones will be studied for the first time by a team of international scientists using our James Webb Space Telescope,” the caption further said.

The Orion Nebula is one of the most scrutinized and photographed objects in the night sky, and is among the most intensely studied celestial features. The nebula has revealed much about the process of how stars and planetary systems are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust.

The Instagram post has gone viral as it received more than 1.18 million likes in two days. Thousands of Instagram users answered NASA’s question “How would you describe the Orion Nebula?”