Nebula
De Mairan's Nebula
H ii region nebula · M43 · NGC 1982
H ii region nebula in Orion
Photo: NASA, ESA, M. Robberto (Space Telescope Science Institute/ESA) and the Hubble Space Telesc · Public domain · Wikimedia Commons
Messier 43 or M43, also known as De Mairan's Nebula and NGC 1982, is a star-forming nebula with a prominent H II region in the equatorial constellation of Orion. It was discovered by the French scientist Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan some time before 1731, then catalogued by Charles Messier in 1769. It is physically part of the Orion Nebula, separate from that main nebula by a dense lane of dust known as the northeast dark lane. It is part of the much larger Orion molecular cloud complex.
Description from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0).
In your sky
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Key facts
Distance
~1,300 light-years
Apparent mag.
+9
Apparent size
20′ × 15′
Best seen with
Binoculars
Catalogue
M43 · NGC 1982
Did you know
- Listed as Messier 43 in the Messier catalogue, also known as NGC 1982.
- Found in the constellation Orion.
- Within reach of ordinary binoculars under dark skies.
