Nebulae in Orion. Enhanced optical image of nebulae in the constellation Orion. At lower centre is the Orion nebula (yellow, M42 & M43), a starbirth region 1500 light years from Earth. At upper left, a dark cloud is seen obscuring some of the red nebula to its right. The bright star at the tip of the dark intrusion is Zeta Orionis, or Alnitak. Below this star is the Horsehead nebula, a small dark cloud silhouetted against the red nebula. The bright star at top centre is Epsilon Orionis, or Alnilam. This image was produced by a CCD (charge-coupled device) camera, which stores images electronically rather than on film.