The Orion Nebula, M42 and M43.
Caption: At a distance of 1,500 light years, the Orion Nebula is the nearest bright nebula to us and can be seen with the naked eye. Its brightness led to it being the first nebula ever photographed (in 1882) and its proximity means that we know more about it than any other star-forming region. The inner regions are glowing mainly in the green light of ionized oxygen, which together with some red emission from hydrogen give the center of the nebula a yellowish color. The energy for this spectacular display comes from the small cluster of stars, the Trapezium, in the brightest part of the nebula and visible in binoculars.
Copyright: (c) 1981 Anglo-Australian Telescope Board, photograph by David Malin
Credit: D. F. Malin