Above is our shot of M42, the nebula in Orion's sword sheath. In a color image of the bright nebula, the gaseous cloudy regions would appear red due to their high hydrogen content. The bright center of the nebula is where new stars are being born. The Orion Nebula is about 1,500 light years away.

(Photo by: Ryan Hennessy, Natalie Herrod, Kristin Portle, and Jeremy Wahl)