The monkey’s mischief

NGC 2174 is a transmitting nebula located in the constellation Orion. It is also called the Monkey Head Nebula. It was discovered by the German astronomer Karl Christian Bruhns in 1857. It is likely that this nebula was observed by the Sicilian astronomer Giovanni Battista Hodierna before the year 1654.

It is approximately 5,310 light years from us. The maximum size of the nebula is around 62 light years.

(Source Wikipedia)