A nebula is a huge cloud of gas and dust in space. Star formation occurs in nebulas. The Orion Nebula is named after the constellation in which it appears, Orion (The Hunter). Orion is a very bright, easy-to-recognize constellation seen in the winter and spring sky. Orion has three bright stars that make up his belt, two bright stars at his shoulders, and two bright stars at his knees. The nebula is located near the tip of Orion’s knife, hanging from his belt.

The Orion Nebula is the nearest star-forming region to Earth, just 1,500 light-years away. Thousands of stars are forming in the Orion nebula. The Advanced Camera for Surveys (ACS) aboard the Hubble Space Telescope (HST) has released the most detailed images ever taken of the Orion Nebula. Astronomers used 104 five-color Hubble images as well as ground-based photos to fill out the edges. The observations were taken in 2004 and 2005. NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute), and the Hubble Space Telescope Orion Treasury Project Team are credited for the composite picture that was released on January 11, 2006.