Spanning roughly half a degree - the same apparent width as the Full Moon - M35 sits just over 2° north-northwest of 3rd-magnitude Propus (Eta [η] Geminorum). It contains several hundred stars.
The 9-12 Geminorum Cluster measures 1° across and ... M42 ranks as the sky’s second-brightest nebula. Only the Eta Carinae Nebula, which lies in the southern sky, outshines it.