Messier 78

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title: "Messier 78" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["reflection-nebulae", "orion-molecular-cloud-complex", "orion–cygnus-arm", "orion-(constellation)", "messier-objects", "ngc-objects", "astronomical-objects-discovered-in-1780", "discoveries-by-pierre-méchain"] description: "Reflection nebula in the constellation of Orion" topic_path: "general/reflection-nebulae" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Messier_78" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Reflection nebula in the constellation of Orion ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox nebula"]

Field	Value
name	Messier 78
image	Messier 78.jpg
caption	Image of Messier 78 captured using the Wide Field Imager camera on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory.
type	Reflection
epoch	J2000.0
ra
dec
dist_ly	415 pc
appmag_v	8.3
size_v	8′ × 6′
constellation	Orion
radius_ly	5
notes	Part of the Orion complex
names	Ced 55u, DG 80, IRAS 05442-0000, [KPS2012] MWSC 0664, NGC 2068
::

| name = Messier 78 | image = Messier 78.jpg | caption = Image of Messier 78 captured using the Wide Field Imager camera on the MPG/ESO 2.2-metre telescope at the La Silla Observatory. | type = Reflection | epoch = J2000.0 | ra = | dec = | dist_ly = 415 pc | appmag_v = 8.3 | size_v = 8′ × 6′ | constellation = Orion | radius_ly = 5 | absmag_v = | notes = Part of the Orion complex | names = Ced 55u, DG 80, IRAS 05442-0000, [KPS2012] MWSC 0664, NGC 2068

Messier 78 (also known as M78 or NGC 2068) is a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. It is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula in a group that includes NGC 2064, NGC 2067, and NGC 2071, all part of the Orion B molecular cloud complex. Located approximately 415 pc from Earth,

Discovery

Discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780, M78 was included in Charles Messier's catalog of comet-like objects that same year.

Structure and composition

The nebula's dust cloud reflects light from its two central stars, making it visible. Infrared observations reveal an embedded star cluster and a hierarchy of gas clumps with core masses ranging from to . M78 hosts:

• 45 T Tauri stars (young stellar objects still forming).
• 17 Herbig–Haro objects (jets emitted by nascent stars).

Observations

On May 23, 2024, the European Space Agency released a high-resolution image of M78 from the Euclid mission, revealing hundreds of thousands of previously unseen objects, including substellar bodies.{{cite web | url = https://www.esa.int/ESA_Multimedia/Images/2024/05/Euclid_s_new_image_of_star-forming_region_Messier_78 | title = Euclid's new image of star-forming region Messier 78 | date = 23 May 2024 | website = The European Space Agency | publisher = ESA/Euclid/Euclid Consortium/NASA | access-date = 27 May 2024

Gallery

VISTA views Messier 78.jpg|VISTA image of Messier 78. Making a Spectacle of Star Formation in Orion.jpg|Spitzer image of Messier 78. Euclid’s new image of star-forming region Messier 78 ESA497237.jpg|Euclid image of star-forming region Messier 78

References

References

1. "Messier 78".
2. M78 is visible in small [[telescope]]s as a hazy patch illuminated by two [[B-type star]]s, {{nowrap. ''HD 38563 A'' and {{nowrap. ''HD 38563 B'', of 10th and 11th [[apparent magnitude
3. "M 78".

::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::