 The nebula is visible with the naked eye even from areas affected by some light pollution . It is seen as the middle " star " in the " sword " of Orion , which are the three stars located south of Orion 's Belt . The star appears fuzzy to sharp @-@ eyed observers , and the nebulosity is obvious through binoculars or a small telescope . The peak surface brightness of the central region is about 17 Mag / arcsec2 ( about 14 millinits ) and the outer bluish glow has a peak surface brightness of 21 @.@ 3 Mag / arcsec2 ( about 0 @.@ 27 millinits ) . ( In the photos shown here the brightness , or luminance , is enhanced by a large factor . ) 
