Messier 78 is a reflection nebula located in the Orion constellation about 1,600 lightyears away.
M78 hasthe 'Messier' designation because it is an entry on the famous Messier Catalogue of deep-sky objects compiled by astronomer Charles Messier in the 18th century.
Rather than a list of noteworthy deep-sky objects, Messier's catalogue was actually a list of targets to avoid, as he was a dedicated comet hunter and was tired of mistaking deep-sky objects for comets.
M78 - Nebula by Bob Franke, Chino Valley, AZ USA. Equipment: 12.5" RCOS Ritchey-Chrétien, Paramount ME, SBIG STL11000M, AstroDon LRGB
The Orion constellation has numerous astronomical gems, including the red giant star Betelgeuse and the Orion Nebula, but Messier 78 is another deep-sky treat for those looking for more objects to observe in the same patch of sky.
Below is a selection of images of M78 captured by astrophotographers and BBC Sky at Night Magazine readers.
M78 Reflection Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Celestron C11 SCT, skywatcher NEQ6 pro mount, Canon Eos 1100d self-modified, Astronomik CLS CCD clip filter.M78 & NGC2071 Reflection Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12" Richey-Chretien telescope, Skywatcher EQ8 mount, Atik 383L camera, Astronomik LRGB filters, Hutech IDAS light pollution filter, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.M78 by Dan Crowson, Animas, New Mexico, USA. Equipment: SBIG STF-8300M, Astro-Tech AT12RCTM78 & NGC2071 Reflection Nebula by Mark Griffith, Swindon, Wiltshire, UK. Equipment: Teleskop service 12" Richey-Chretien, Skywatcher EQ8 mount, Atik 383L camera, Astronomik LRGB filters, Hutech IDAS light pollution filter, Astro physics 0.67 reducer.M78 by Jeffrey O. Johnson, Las Cruces, New Mexico, USA. Equipment: Takahashi FS-60C, Takahashi EM200 Temma II, QSI 540wsg, Filters Astrodon Ha (3nm), Astrodon Tru-Balance I-Series LRGB Gen 2, Guider SX LodestarMessier 78 in Orion by Terry Hancock, Colorado, USA. Equipment: Astro-Tech AT130 APO Refractor, Paramount GT-1100S German Equatorial Mount, QHY163M Mono COLDMOS, QHYCFW2-M 7 position Filter Wheel, Optolong filters, QHYOAG-M Off Axis GuiderM78 - Reflection, Star Birth and Dust in Orion by Graeme Coates, W. Oxfordshire, UK. Equipment: William Optics FLT110, with focal reducer, Losmandy Titan, SBIG ST2000XMM78 by Alvaro Ibañez Perez, Las Inviernas, Guadalajara, Spain. Equipment: Takahashi FSQ106EDX, Takahashi EM400 Temma2, CCD Atik 460EX mono, Astrodon LRGB, IDAS LPS P2, SX USB Filter Wheel, Lunático EZG-60, SXLodestar, RoboFocus, AstroMatic (ftorrev).
