Observer's Notes: There are actually several cataloged objects within and around the Orion Nebula. The famous comet hunter Charles Messier gave Orion two numbers in his catalog: M42 to the large, main complex, and M43 to the smaller, seashell shaped nebula to the North (to the right in our photo.) Further North of the Orion Complex (again to the right in our photo) lies the NGC 1973 complex, which appears as a faint blue patch in our photo. With a moderate to large aperture telescope this nebula shows up well, especially with a nebula filter. Farther North of NGC 1973 (not in our photo) is the top star in Orion's sword, actually a cluster of them- NGC 1981. This little cluster shows up in any size scope.

This area of the sky is one of the richest in all the heavens. Get a hold of a good star map, and spend an entire evening exploring the riches of Orion.