Back Orionkompleks AF سحابة الجبار الجزيئية Arabic Complex d'Orió Catalan Orion-Molekülwolkenkomplex German Orion molecular cloud complex English Complejo molecular de la nube de Orión Spanish همتافت ابر مولکولی شکارچی FA Nuage d'Orion French הענן המולקולרי אוריון HE Komples Awan Molekul Orion ID
The Orion complex (sometimes called the Orion molecular cloud complex) is a huge star-forming area in the constellation of Orion.[1]
It is a large group of bright nebulae, dark clouds, and young star clusters. The cloud is between 1,500 and 1,600 light-years away and is hundreds of light-years across. Several parts of the nebula can be seen through binoculars and small telescopes. Some parts (such as the Orion nebula) are visible to the naked eye.
The nebula is important because of its sheer size. It is also one of the most active regions of stellar formation that can be seen in the night sky. In it are protoplanetary discs and many very young stars. The nebula is very bright in the infrared wavelengths due to the heat-intensive processes involved in star formation. The complex contains dark nebulae, emission nebulae, reflection nebulae, and HII regions.