APOD: 2020 November 5 - North of Orion s Belt

Good morning, Rallypoint. Today's Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD) is titled "North of Orion's Belt." One can easily see why Orion is a popular stop for an astrophotographer. At the upper left is Lynd's Dark Nebula (LDN) 1622, a mere 500 light years away. The red emission nebula is a portion of Barnard's Loop. Messier 78 (M78) is the bluish-looking reflection nebula on the lower right. It was discovered in 1780 by Charles Messier’s colleague Pierre Méchain, and is best seen in January. M78 (at least to me) does appear comet-like.

Today's APOD was produced using equipment at Grand Mesa Observatory, located in Whitewater, Colorado. One can rent equipment and space on a nightly basis, or purchase a monthly subscription. Grand Mesa is a 501(c)3 nonprofit educational facility, which means that all income from the telescope and pier rentals will be used to fund the observatory's operational expenses. Roadtrip to see COL Mikel J. Burroughs!