Discover the cosmos! Each day a different image or photograph of
our fascinating universe is featured, along with a brief
explanation written by a professional astronomer. 2001 July 22
Explanation: The Orion Nebula is visible to the unaided eye as a
fuzzy patch near the famous belt of three stars in the Orion.
The above picture captures a part of the Orion Nebula that
primarily reflects light from bright Orion stars. This
reflection nebula appears blue because the blue light from the
neighboring stars scatters more efficiently from nebula gas than
does red light. The dark lanes are composed of mostly
interstellar dust - fine needle-shaped carbon grains. Authors &
editors: Jerry Bonnell (USRA) NASA Technical Rep.: Jay Norris.
Specific rights apply. A service of: LHEA at NASA/ GSFC &
Michigan Tech. U.