When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission.An image of the Orion Nebula captured by Joel Martin in December 2025. | Credit: Joel MartinAstrophotographer Joel Martin captured a gorgeous view of the Orion Nebula (M42) shining 1,500 light-years from Earth, revealing spectacular detail in the stellar nursery as it hung in the winter skies over the seaside village of Del Mar in California.Martin’s image highlights the nebula’s chaotic, radiation-sculpted structure, whose cosmic dust and gas are being actively shaped by the thousands of energetic young stars that coalesced within its roiling expanse.AdvertisementAdvertisementThe Orion Nebula’s core has been excavated in part by the ultraviolet light cast out by a collection of four colossal young stars known collectively as the “Trapezium”, named for their resemblance to the geometric shape.The nebula’s close proximity to Earth has made it a popular target for astronomers looking to unravel the complex environment in which new stars like our sun are born. Scientists have even used powerful observatories such as the Hubble Space Telescope to capture images of protoplanetary disks surrounding newborn stellar bodies, much like the one our own solar system formed from some 4.5 billion years ago.An image of the Great Orion Nebula captured by Joel Martin in December 2025. | Credit: Joel MartinMartin captured the nebula’s light over the course of three hours in December 2025 using a 6-inch (157 mm) Newtonian reflector paired with a set of narrow-band filters, which only permitted light from specific wavelengths to be collected. “There has been a staggering amount of rain in Southern California and I had to grab the few hours of clear skies when I could, so I was battling light pollution, clouds, dew and the moon, …
