Illuminated by the light of nearby stars, the nebula M-78 exhibits a ghostly appearance in this 10-minute exposure taken with a 6″ refractor at the Siding Spring Observatory in Australia. Located in the constellation of Orion — some1,600 light years from Earth — this reflection nebula is known to contain more than 40 very young stars still in the process of formation.
Image Credit: NASA/MSFC/MEO/Bill Cooke