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Cluster with nebulosity · Orion

the Running Man Nebula

Deep skyNGC 1977

Scientific overview

the Running Man Nebula is a cluster with nebulosity in the constellation Orion. It spans about 10.2 arcminutes of sky.

Location in the sky

Constellation
Orion
RA / Dec
5.5877h / -4.8443°
Hemisphere
Both
Season
Winter

Precision measurements

Distances and velocities from SIMBAD · NGC 1977

Distance1,280 lySIMBAD · catalogued
Physical size (major axis)3.796387 lySIMBAD · derived
Radial velocity30.71 ± 0.17 km/sSIMBAD · measured
Right ascension (ICRS)83.815 degSIMBAD · measured
Declination (ICRS)-4.818889 degSIMBAD · measured
Full field-level provenance
  • Distance: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · mesDistance · dist · 2022ApJ...931..156P · catalogued value · source value 392.3 pc · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Physical size (major axis): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · derived (OpenNGC angular size × SIMBAD distance) · physical size = angular size × distance (small-angle); angular size from OpenNGC, distance from SIMBAD mesDistance · derived · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Radial velocity: Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · rvz_radvel · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Right ascension (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · ra · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11
  • Declination (ICRS): Centre de données astronomiques de Strasbourg (CDS) · SIMBAD · basic · dec · 2021A&A...647A..19T · direct catalogue measurement · retrieved 2026-07-11

Physical size is derived from the OpenNGC angular size and the catalogued distance (small-angle: size = angle × distance). This is a Galactic object: its Doppler shift is shown as a radial velocity, not a cosmological redshift. Fields a source did not provide are omitted, never invented.

ObjectTypeMagSize (′)
Lower SwordNGC 1980Cluster with nebulosity2.59.3
Great Orion NebulaM 42 · NGC 1976Cluster with nebulosity490
Upper SwordNGC 1981Cluster with nebulosity4.29
NGC 1788NGC 1788Reflection nebula5.82
NGC 2169NGC 2169Open cluster5.97.2
NGC 1662NGC 1662Open cluster6.413.8
NGC 2175NGC 2175Cluster with nebulosity6.85.4
NGC 1973NGC 1973Nebula75

Sources

The primary and reference sources this topic draws on.

  • OpenNGCOpenNGC (M. Verga) — NGC/IC, Messier, and Caldwell catalogue data

    Openly-licensed deep-sky catalogue: object types, positions, magnitudes, sizes, morphology, and cross-identifiers.