Messier 78

Hubble's infrared image of Messier 78 helped astronomers understand how young stars develop.

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Distance

1,600 light-years

Apparent Magnitude

8.0

constellation

Orion

object type

Reflection Nebula

M78 as seen by Hubble
This colorful image features a small part of M78, a reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion.
NASA, ESA, J. Muzerolle (Space Telescope Science Institute) and S. Megeath (University of Toledo)

This colorful image features a small part of M78, a reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion. A reflection nebula is created when light from a star is scattered or reflected off a nearby dust cloud. M78 is located approximately 1,600 light-years away from Earth and has an apparent magnitude of 8.

two images of M78
A box in the ground-based infrared image of M78 at left shows the location of Hubble’s close-up infrared view on the right.
ESO/VISTA (ground-based image)

M78 was discovered in 1780 by Charles Messier’s colleague Pierre Méchain. It is best seen in January. M78 can be found in binoculars and small telescopes, but telescopes 8 inches or larger will reveal more detail in the nebula. M78 has the distinction of appearing very comet like, with one side of the nebula flaring away like a comet’s tail. This has fooled many comet hunters into believing they have made a new discovery.

This infrared view was made using Hubble’s Near Infrared Camera and Multi-Object Spectrometer (NICMOS) and Wide Field Camera 3. The Hubble observations were taken to develop a better understanding of protostellar evolution, the early developmental stages in a star’s life.

locator star chart for M78
This star chart for M78 represents the view from mid-northern latitudes for the given month and time.
Image courtesy of Stellarium

Explore Hubble's Messier Catalog

The following pages contain some of Hubble’s best images of Messier objects.

Bright green, orange, and yellow tendrils intertwined within this egg shaped nebula.

Messier 1 (The Crab Nebula)

Better known as the Crab Nebula, Charles Messier originally mistook Messier 1 for Halley’s Comet, which inspired him to create…

A Hubble image of a ball of thousands of stars

Messier 2

Hubble's image of Messier 2 is comprised of visible and infrared wavelengths of light.

Hubble view of M3 - a ball of thousands of stars.

Messier 3

Messier 3 holds more than 500,000 stars.