NGC 2064 (also designated as LBN 1627) is a reflection nebula. It is located 1600 light years away from Earth in the constellation Orion. It was discovered on January 11, 1864 by Heinrich d’Arrest. It is part of a group of nebulae that includes Messier 78, NGC 2071 and NGC 2067. Objects that appear close to NGC 2064 from our perspective include the Spirograph nebula and Horsehead nebula. Other nearby objects are the Flame nebula, Rosette nebula, and the Orion nebula.
M78 is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula in its group. This group of nebulae includes NGC 2064, NGC 2067, and NGC 2071. This group belongs to the Orion B molecular cloud complex and is about 1,350 light-years distant from Earth. The M78 cloud contains a cluster of stars that is visible in the infrared.[2] Due to gravity, the molecular gas in the nebula has fragmented into a hierarchy of clumps.
