Magnetic Fields in the Orion Nebula. Composite image showing magnetic fields in the Orion Nebula (shown as stream lines over an infrared image) regulating the formation of new stars. The Orion Nebula is an vast cloud of dust and gas where new stars are being formed. It lies around 1500 light years from Earth, in the constellation of Orion, and is estimated to stretch 24 light years across. Image created using data obtained by the HAWC+ instrument of the SOFIA (Stratospheric Observatory for Infrared Astronomy) project, overlaid on an image from the Very Large Telescope, European Southern Observatory, Chile.