This region is the upper “star” in Orion’s sword. The combination of NGC 1973, 1975, and 1977 constitute what is known as The Running Man Nebula. These are reflection nebulae rather than emission nebulae like the Orion Nebula. They lie at distances between 1,500 and 1,600 light-years from Earth and are therefore farther away than the Orion Nebula. The dark nebula billowing up just right of center is known as The Thunderhead.

Exposures: L;R:G:B = 105:55:55:55 minutes = 4 hours, 30 minutes total exposure, completely unguided.