WOW!

[ashling]

[applegrove]

1. Gorgeous. Nothing like it.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. Yes! What is it, what took it, and where is the original?

[dixiegrrrrl]

3. The nebula Messier 78 is a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion

This group belongs to the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex and is about 1,600 light years distant from Earth.

Wiki and Google image search to the rescue!

[TreasonousBastard]

4. Doh! We have a Messier poster at...

http://www.custerobservatory.org and regularly show visitors whatever Messiers are around at the time when we're open on Saturday night. Even been in some Messier Marathons.

But, in defense of my ignorance in not recognizing it, that doesn't look at all like what you see through the eyepiece around here. We usually just get the two white dots.

M78 wears a lot of costumes, depending on the exposure, scope and filtering:

http://www.bing.com/images/search?q=Messier+78&qpvt=Messier+78&FORM=IQFRML#a

(The best are by satellite so far, but the newer programmable scopes on mountaintops are getting better all the time)

[dixiegrrrrl]

6. Isn't that the same nubula

which, in one of it's disguises, has been called "god's eye"?

[TreasonousBastard]

7. Nope. The Eye of God is the Helix Nebula...

(Gorgeous, isn't it?)

http://apod.nasa.gov/apod/ap030510.html

[dixiegrrrrl]

8. ohhhh..thank you.

I had misplaced my copy of that....

[jtuck004]

5. K&R. I feel a kinship...like they are inside of me. n/t

[lunatica]

9. They say we're made of that stuff

That's an idea that I like.