Why does everyone keep calling the Orion Nebula a galaxy?

I keep seeing comments on photos here that mix up nebulae and galaxies, especially with M42. It's a cloud of gas and dust in our own Milky Way, not a separate island of stars. I learned this the hard way when I tried to find it with my old 60mm refractor in my light polluted backyard in Toledo. Has anyone else run into this mix up when talking to new folks getting into the hobby?

2 comments

2 Comments

gibson.sean9d ago

Yeah, that mix-up happens a lot, especially online. I've seen people call the Orion Nebula a galaxy in YouTube comments too. It's a big glowing cloud where stars are being born, right inside our own galaxy. I guess the names sound similar to someone new, and both look like fuzzy patches in a small telescope. What's the most confusing space term you've come across?

grantthomas9d ago

Agree, @gibson.sean. "Dark matter" always trips me up.