This is The Great Orion Nebula. There are 4 young stars (about 50,000 years old) in the center of the nebula called the Trapezium. The Orion Nebula is a hot bed of star formation. It lies about 1,400 light years (one light year is a little over 6 trillion miles)from Earth. Protoplanetary disk (new born solar systems) have recently been discovered around five developing stars in this region
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Equipment used:
10" LX200GPS w/UHTC
Meade 6.3 focal reducer, Canon AE-1 Camera.
Non guided in ALT-AZ
10 minute exposure.
Orion has many myths in many cultures, this is just one of many
from Greek Mythology.
The story involves Apollo and Artemis, the twin children of Zeus, the king of the
gods.
It is said that Artemis fell in love with Orion the greatest of
hunters, the son of a mortal woman
and the god of the seas Poseidon.
Fearing his virgin sister would loose her power and image as a
great goddess, by giving
herself to this demigod, Apollo set a giant scorpion out kill
Orion.
Orion fought the scorpion bravely but lost the battle, Artemis set
Orion into the heavens
so she could look upon him forever, and afterwards Apollo set the
scorpion into the
sky calling it Scorpio, to chase Orion for eternity.
As Scorpio is rising, Orion is setting in the opposite
horizon.
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