2016-02-05 / Image Details (Click on image to enlarge)
The constellation of Orion is one of the most spectacular regions in the autumn and winter sky and comprises famous deep sky objects.
galacticsights
astrophotography
Horsehead Nebula, Orion
"The Horsehead nebula is one of the most difficult of visual objects and requires
dark skies and large exposure times to view. We had superb seeing conditions that night
and a relatively dark sky despite the nearby city of Zurich."
Technical Details
| Location | Zollikerberg, Switzerland |
| Camera | Nikon DSLR D810A |
| Telescope | Skywatcher Quattro 8CF 200 DS Fibre OTA Newton Carbon |
| Optics | Skywatcher Newtonian F4 Coma Corrector |
| Focal Length | 800mm |
| Mount | Skywatcher AZ-EQ6, EQASCOM, Stellarium |
| Autoguiding | Lacerta MGEN2 (Autoguiding, Dithering und Camera Control) |
| Camera Control | Digicamcontrol (Focus, Camera Control) |
| Lights | 35 x 180s (1h45'), ISO-800, additional Biases, Flats, no Darks |
| Stacking Software | Pixinsight 1.8 |
| Image Processing | Pixinsight 1.8 |
The Horsehead Nebula is one of the most recognizable of deep sky objects by virtue of its distinct resemblance to its namesake. It is certainly the best known example of a dark nebula. The nebula is silhouetted against the very faint glow of IC 434, a reef of tenuous emission nebulosity.
Another interesting object in the image is the reflection nebula, NGC 2023, in the lower left corner. The bluish color of the NGC 2023 is caused by light of the star in the center that is reflected off surrounding dust.
Another famous deep sky object is located near the bright star Alnitak. This emission nebula is called The Flame Nebula or NGC 2024.