Orion Nebula. 19th-century astronomical observation of the Orion Nebula (M42, NGC 1976). North is at top. This active region of star formation is visi

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Orion Nebula. 19th-century astronomical observation of the Orion Nebula (M42, NGC 1976). North is at top. This active region of star formation is visible to the naked eye and is some 24 light years across. It is around 1350 light years away, in the constellation of Orion. This 81-minute exposure was obtained on 24 December 1888, from the observatory in Maghull, Merseyside, UK. This observatory was operated by British amateur astronomer Isaac Roberts (1829-1904), one of the pioneers of the new techniques of astrophotography.

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Photo credit: © ROYAL ASTRONOMICAL SOCIETY/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY / Alamy / Afripics
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Keywords: 1800s, 24, 1888, 1976, 19th, amateur, astronomical, astronomy, astrophotograph, astrophotography, astrophysical, astrophysics, black--white, british, century, december, early, english, european, exposure, historical, history, isaac, long, m42, maghull, monochrome, nebula, ngc, night, observation, observatory, orion, photographs, pioneering, roberts, sky, space, telescope, universe