The Orion Nebula is a diffuse nebula situated south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion. Catalogue under M42. It is one of the brightest nebulae visible to the naked eye in the night sky. It is located at a distance of 1,344 light years away and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The nebula is estimated to be 24 light years across and to have a mass of about 2000 times the mass of the Sun. It is an example of a stellar nursery where new stars are being born. Observations of the nebula have revealed approximately 700 stars in various stages of formation within the nebula. Interstellar clouds like the Orion Nebula are found throughout galaxies such as the Milky Way.  It is in the stage of evolution, with additional stars still forming from the collapsing molecular cloud. The youngest and brightest stars we now see in the Orion Nebula are thought to be less than 300,000 years old, and the brightest may be only 10,000 years in age. Some of these co...