The Third Group

410: Orion

The third group of Messier objects we’ll look at are the three objects in mighty Orion.

Orion is blessed. In Rigel and Betelgeuse it has two of the brightest stars in the sky. It also has three of only seven diffuse nebulae in Messier’s entire catalog. One of those—M42, the Great Nebula in Orion—is the most spectacular deep sky object of all.