One of the most conspicuous and prominent constellations, Orion is easily recognised in the night sky. Orion's brilliant stars are found on the celestial equator and are visible throughout the world. The Belt of Orion is spotted as a prominent asterism of three bright stars in a row.

As well as the nebulae indicated on the diagram, surveying Orion with a small telescope will reveal a wealth of interesting deep sky objects, including multiple stars. Larger telescopes will reveal further objects, multiple stars and more nebulae.

The nebulae are part of the larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, located approximately 1,500 light years away and hundreds of light years across. It is one of the most intense regions of stellar formation visible in our galaxy.

Deep Sky Objects:
M42 - Diffuse Nebula, magnitude 4.00, known as the Great Orion Nebula
M43 - Nebula, magnitude 7.00, known as De Mairan´s Nebula
M78 - Diffuse Reflection Nebula, magnitude 8.00
NGC 2071 - Nebula, magnitude 9.50
IC 434 - Nebula, known as the Horsehead Nebula

Numbered Stars with Magnitudes:
1. +5.10
2. +4.35
3. +4.45
4. +4.40
5. +4.30
6. +0.45 - Betelgeuse
7. +3.50 - Meissa
8. +1.60 - Bellatrix
9. +4.60
10. +4.35
11. +3.15
12. +3.65
13. +3.70
14. +4.45
15. +1.85 - Alnitak
16. +1.65 - Alnilam
17. +2.40 - Mintaka
18. +2.05 - Saiph
19. +0.15 - Rigel