The following map shows the two-dimensional location of some of the nearby emission nebulae, as seen from above. Our Sun is right in the middle, since we are reconstructing this from our viewpoint. Note the depiction of the spiral arms where most of the nebulae and star clusters lie. Not all nebulae and clusters are included.
Click on the rectangle surrounding each of the nebulae and see how the nebula looks in our sky. Think of this exercise as going up to the rooftop of your house and looking all around, and then viewing a map of your neighborhood. Match up what you see to get a better idea of a much, much larger neighborhood. NOTE: some of these images are quite large, 400 kb or so.
For additional browsing, you can find most of the Messier objects (noted with the "M") at SEDS Messier Catalog. For additional views of the nebulae, go to the NOAO Image Gallery of Nebulae. You will find a variety of images at these Web sites that will give you a better feel not only for what the objects look like, but also how we manipulate the images to bring out certain features and contrasts.
(Most of these images are taken by an astrophotographer, George Greaney and are used with his permission. Information on the process he uses is included on his Web site. The image of the Eta Carina Nebula is by Christopher Picking, New Zealand. The Omega Nebula is courtesy NOAO/AURA/NSF.)