Messier 43
Template:Short description Template:Infobox nebula
Messier 43 or M43, also known as De Mairan's Nebula and NGC 1982, is a star-forming nebula with a prominent H II region in the equatorial constellation of Orion. It was discovered by the French scientist Jean-Jacques d'Ortous de Mairan some time before 1731,<ref name=Adam2018/> then catalogued by Charles Messier in 1769.Template:Efn It is physically part of the Orion Nebula (Messier 42), separate from that main nebula by a dense lane of dust known as the northeast dark lane.<ref name=Diaz2011/> It is part of the much larger Orion molecular cloud complex.
The main ionizing star in this nebula is the quadruple star system NU Orionis (HD 37061), the focus of the H II region, Template:Convert away.<ref name=Aschenbrenner2024/>
The H II region is a roundish volume of ionized hydrogen. It has a diameter of about Template:Val, at its distance meaning it measures Template:Convert. The net (meaning omitting the star) hydrogen alpha luminosity of this region is Template:Val; equivalent to Template:Val. There is a dark lane crossing the whole west-centre strip from north to south, known as the M43 dark lane, which forming a swirling belt extension to the south links to Orion's northeast dark lane. All of these resemble a mixture of smoke rising from a chimney and in watercolour broad and fine dark brushstrokes, at many wavelengths.
Gallery
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Hubble Space Telescope view of M43
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Infrared view of (part of) De Mairan's Nebula (M43)
