Go to http://www.skymaps.comto download a free skymap. Use this
map to help you find the constellation Taurus.

As a you look for Taurus in the night time sky,
first find Orion. Orion actually shares some of its stars with
Taurus, and Orion is much brighter. Betelgeuse actually means
armpit. It is the armpit of Taurus. Use Betelgeuse as a
guide star to help you find the rest of Taurus.

The Great Nebula:

The Great Nebula, also called M42, is a very bright,
very beautiful pink cloud of gas and dust.

It is about 1000 light years from the Earth.
Remember that 1 light year equals 6 trillion miles. That means
the Great Nebula is 6000 Trillion Miles away. Using the Hubble
Space Telescope, scientists have been able to see inside this
cloud. They found that it is an active area where new stars are
forming. 5 Billion years ago our Sun sat inside a cloud just
like this one and collected dust and gas until it was large enough to ignite.

You can see the Great Nebula with your naked
eye. You just have to know where to look. First find
Orion. Look at his belt, there are three bright stars in a
straight line. Now look a little bit lower. There is
another line of stars. This line points up and down. Near
the bottom of that row of stars you will notice a fuzzy patch.
This is the Great Nebula.

Now go get your binoculars. You can see it
much better with them. Through a small telescope you can begin
to see its pinkish color.