APOD 12: SPITZER'S ORION

2014 January 15

This is Orion's Nebula, an immense stellar nursery some 1,500 light-years away. This false color image spans 40 light-years, constructed using infrared data from the Spitzer Space Telescope. The brighest portion of the nebula is centered on Orion's young, massive, hot stars known as the Trapezium Cluster.