M78 is located in the  constellation of Orion. M78 is the brightest diffuse/ reflection nebula in the sky. It belongs to the Orion complex, a large cloud of gas and dust centered on the Orion Nebula M42/M43, and is about 1,600 light years distant. M78 is the brightest portion of a vast dust cloud that includes NGC 2071, above- left. Another nebulae, commonly named the Flame Nebula, these are all associated with the molecular cloud LDN 1630, from Lynds' Catalogue of Dark Nebula, part of the Orion complex.
M78 is a cloud of interstellar dust which shines in the reflected and scattered light of bright blue (early B-type) stars, among them the brightest, HD 38563A, and second-brightest HDE 38563B, these are around 10th magnitude. M78 exhibits a continuous spectrum, which resembles that of the bright stars enlightening it. At its distance about 2800 light-years. It measures almost 4 light years in extension.

 Conditions- It has been a case of picking in between the high cloud, waiting for clear breaks. When it's clear, it's windy. This time of the year can be a challenge here. Seeing and transparency average on all occasions.