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The '''Orion molecular cloud complex''' (or, simply, the '''Orion complex''') is a star forming region with stellar ages ranging up to 12 Myr. Two [[Molecular cloud#Giant molecular clouds|giant molecular clouds]] are a part of it, Orion A and Orion B. The stars currently forming within the complex are located within these clouds. A number of other somewhat older stars no longer associated with the molecular gas are also part of the complex, most notably the [[Orion's Belt]] (Orion OB1b), as well as the dispersed population north of it ([[Orion OB1|Orion OB1a]]). Near the head of Orion there is also a population of young stars that is centered on [[Meissa]]. The complex is between 1 000 and 1 400 light-years away, and hundreds of light-years across.
 
The Orion complex is one of the most active regions of nearby [[star formation|stellar formation]] visible in the night sky, and is home to both [[protoplanetary discs]] and very young [[star]]s. Much of it is bright in [[infrared]] wavelengths due to the heat-intensive processes involved in stellar formation, though the complex contains [[dark nebulae]], [[emission nebulae]], [[reflection nebula]]e, and [[H II region]]s. The presence of ripples on the surface of Orion's molecular clouds was discovered in 2010. The ripples are a result of the expansion of the nebulae gas over pre-existing molecular gas.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Berné|first=Olivier|last2=Marcelino|first2=Núria|last3=Cernicharo|first3=José|title=Waves on the surface of the Orion molecular cloud|journal=Nature|volume=466|issue=7309|pages=947–949|doi=10.1038/nature09289|pmid=20725034|arxiv = 1011.0295 |bibcode = 2010Natur.466..947B |year=2010}}</ref>
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