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Hi all,
When I used to observe with a 10" SCT I would need pretty dark skies to notice a hint of green. Under suburban skies, M42 was grey.
The move to 20" revolutionised the view. Under suburban skies M42 is a bright green even in poor conditions. Under dark skies, the core of M42 remains green, but the outer reaches are noticeably pink, and even peachy.
Some observers see a blue tone rather than green when observing M42. This seems to reflect personal perception differences.
There are several other bright nebulous objects which exhibit colour in the Mary Rose. For example, M8 is pinkish - but not at all greenish. The Running Man, near M42 definitely has a pinkish hint as well under dark skies.
Colours are also evident in some planetary nebulae. One I particularly love is IC418, which has an orange tinge. Many brighter PNe have a greenish or bluish tinge, depending on the perception of the observer. I see aqua and lilac in the Saturn nebula.
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