This is the reflection nebula known as NGC 1999. This star-forming region lies just south of the Orion Nebula in the constellation of Orion the Hunter. The embedded variable star V380 Orionis is visible as the bright blue light in the center. The dark T-shaped area below the star was once thought to be an absorption nebula silhouetted against the brighter nebula. However, it is now thought to actually be a hole in the nebula itself cause by the radiation from young stars dispersing the gas. The region has a large amount of young stars whose radiation produces numerous shock waves through the gaseous nebula.
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