In the depths of winter there is one constellation that shines out proudly, low in the southern sky - Orion. He is famous for the three bright stars that make up his belt. Look a little further down and you will notice a hazy patch of light, often referred to as Orion’s Sword. You are looking at The Orion Nebula, one of the few nebulae bright enough to be visible with the naked eye.

It is the closest region to Earth in which new stars are being formed and due to the relative ease with which it can be observed, it has taught us much about the processes behind star formation. Its distance to us is also known to incredible levels of accuracy, usually quoted as 1344 ±20 light years.

The distinct colour of the Orion Nebula is in part due to the radiation reflected from a small cluster of O-class (extremely hot and very bright) stars near the centre of the nebula, known as The Trapezium, and also due to the large amounts of ionised hydrogen in the nebula.

Photographically, The Trapezium creates problems as it is so bright. In the 1200s exposure length that captures great detail in the darker areas of the nebula, The Trapezium becomes totally over-exposed and featureless. To combat this, a separate set of short exposures of just 60s are used to retain detail. The two sets of exposures are then married in post-production.

This image also shows The Running Man Nebula, NGC 1973, 1975 & 1977, bright reflection nebulae above the main Orion Nebula. A reflection nebula emits very little visible light, but rather primarily it is illuminated by light from nearby stars.