Image Centered on Ra.05 : 40.9 (h:m) Dec. -02 : 28 (deg:m)
Horse Head Nebula (B33) (IC434)
Information
The Horse Head Nebula is one of the most photographed deep space objects that I am aware of. The dark, light obscuring Nebula seems to be placed in just the right spot in front of a bright emission nebula to create the illusion of a ghostly horses head rising out of the fog and mist as in a dreamscape. The bright object below and to the left of the Horsehead is an unusual object known as NGC 2023 sometimes called the lump star. It is actually a separate nebula situated in front of the dark nebula comprising the Horsehead. NGC 2023 envelopes an intense star which ionizes the surrounding gas cloud and causing it to glow.
*Note* The following description was copied from the seds webpage : The remarkable Horsehead is a dark globule of dust and non-luminous gas, obscuring the light coming from behind, especially the moderately bright nebula IC 434. It is the most remarkable feature of an interesting region of diffuse nebulae, which belongs to a huge cloud of gas and dust situated 1,600 light years away in the direction of constellation Orion.
Optics and exposure data
Telescope, Vixen R200ss 8 inch Newtonian at F4 (Fl 800mm) with a Televue Coma Corrector and aftermarket Moonlite accessories focuser.
Mount, Losmandy G11 with Gemini control electronics
Imager, Starlite-Xpress SXV-h9 using a Schuler Ha optical filter.
Exposure data, Ha = 90 minutes total with 5 min subexposures.
Images acquired with Astroart and aligned then combined in Maxim Dl. Final RGB composite processed with Photoshop Cs
Images acquired from my backyard - " Dirt Clod Observatory" in Antelope California
