Great Orion Nebula M42 First Light

Wow! This is my first Diffuse Nebula and all I can say is I couldnt belive how much it jumped out at me! This is also the first time I have been able to see Orion with my Telescope and I had absolutley no problem finding where to point, and what to look for with my "Night Watch" and "Turn Left at Orion" books in hand. The Nebula itself was fairly easy to see in my 114GT, I could also see about 3 stars within the Nebula. It was an amazing experience, and now I know why even though they are called 'faint fuzzies' they are a sight to behold!

The Orion Nebula is about 1500 light years from earth, and is the brightest Diffuse Nebula in our Sky. From what I gather, stars are born within these Nebula's, and during my observation this night I was able to spot 3 stars within the Nebula, this is called The Trapezium cluster and there are 9 stars within this cluster named A-H (H was actually found to be a double star). These clusters of stars are known be the youngest known to us and possibly with newer stars being born.

Date: 29/11/04
Time: 11:30pm EST
Location: Frontyard of 111 Reed
Seeing: Good
Site Conditions: This was my first attempt at locating M42
Eyepiece Used: 9, 15, and 32mm
Instrument: NexStar 114GT