APOD 3.1

Alnitak, Alnilam, Mintaka

These bright blueish lights from east to west mark the belt of Orion. What might come as a suprise to those who know little about astronomy is that these blue supergiant stars are hotter and much more massive than the Sun. They lie about 1,500 light years away, born from Orion's interstellar clouds. Clouds of dust and gas adrift in this region have some interesting shapes including the Horsehead Nebula and Flame Nebula. This spectacular image spans about 4 degrees across the sky.