What is the measured span of the Orion Nebula, designated Messier 42 (M42)?
Answer
24 light-years across
The Orion Nebula, known scientifically by its catalog designation Messier 42 (M42), serves as a major example of a stellar factory where massive O-type stars are born. While these newborn stars can be many times the radius of the Sun, the nebula housing them is constrained to a specific immense size. The dimension provided for the Orion Nebula is 24 light-years across. This measurement highlights that even large stellar nurseries exist within a defined, albeit colossal, boundary, which is notably smaller than some other nebulae, like the Lagoon Nebula.
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