Horsehead Nebula
The Horsehead Nebula and also known as Barnard 33 is a dark nebula based in the constellation of Orion. The Horsehead Nebula is located on Orion’s belt on the left-hand star in an HII region known as IC 434.
The Horsehead Nebula is located roughly 1375 Ly away from Earth and is well known and one of the most identifiable targets due to the dark nebula’s resemblance to a horse’s head (although it also resembles a sea horse’s head as well).
Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming first noticed the nebula in 1888 while taking a photograph of it at the Harvard College Observatory. E. E. Barnard provided one of the earliest descriptions, cataloguing the black nebula as Barnard 33, stating that it was a "dark mass, diam. 4′, on nebulous strip stretching south from Orionis."
The Horsehead Nebula and also known as Barnard 33 is a dark nebula based in the constellation of Orion. The Horsehead Nebula is located on Orion’s belt on the left-hand star in an HII region known as IC 434.
The Horsehead Nebula is located roughly 1375 Ly away from Earth and is well known and one of the most identifiable targets due to the dark nebula’s resemblance to a horse’s head (although it also resembles a sea horse’s head as well).
Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming first noticed the nebula in 1888 while taking a photograph of it at the Harvard College Observatory. E. E. Barnard provided one of the earliest descriptions, cataloguing the black nebula as Barnard 33, stating that it was a "dark mass, diam. 4′, on nebulous strip stretching south from Orionis."
Structure
The Orion molecular cloud complex contains the black cloud of dust and gas, where star formation is occurring. It is part of the Orion constellation, which may be seen well in the southern hemisphere's summer evening sky as well as the northern hemisphere's winter evening sky.
A deep red colour may be seen in colour photographs, which is created by the neighbouring bright star Sigma Orionis and comes from the ionised hydrogen gas (H) that is primarily behind the nebula. Gases are channelled by magnetic fields out of the nebula and into streams, which are visible as foreground streaks against the background brightness. The vast cloud's edge is marked by a blazing band of hydrogen gas, and the densities of the stars on either side are noticeably different.
Heavy concentrations of dust are confined into interstellar clouds in the Horsehead Nebula region and the nearby Orion Nebula, resulting in alternating sections of virtually full opacity and transparency. The Horsehead is mostly dark because dense dust is obscuring the light from the stars behind it. A shadow is cast to the left by the lower portion of the Horsehead's neck. The gaseous complex's visible black nebula is a region of vigorous star formation for "low-mass" stars. Young stars that are still forming can be seen as bright dots in the Horsehead Nebula's base.
The Orion molecular cloud complex contains the black cloud of dust and gas, where star formation is occurring. It is part of the Orion constellation, which may be seen well in the southern hemisphere's summer evening sky as well as the northern hemisphere's winter evening sky.
A deep red colour may be seen in colour photographs, which is created by the neighbouring bright star Sigma Orionis and comes from the ionised hydrogen gas (H) that is primarily behind the nebula. Gases are channelled by magnetic fields out of the nebula and into streams, which are visible as foreground streaks against the background brightness. The vast cloud's edge is marked by a blazing band of hydrogen gas, and the densities of the stars on either side are noticeably different.
Heavy concentrations of dust are confined into interstellar clouds in the Horsehead Nebula region and the nearby Orion Nebula, resulting in alternating sections of virtually full opacity and transparency. The Horsehead is mostly dark because dense dust is obscuring the light from the stars behind it. A shadow is cast to the left by the lower portion of the Horsehead's neck. The gaseous complex's visible black nebula is a region of vigorous star formation for "low-mass" stars. Young stars that are still forming can be seen as bright dots in the Horsehead Nebula's base.
Flame Nebula
The Flame Nebula is an emission nebula in the constellation of Orion with the designations NGC 2024 and Sh2-277. The distance is between 900 and 1,500 light years.
The easternmost star in the Belt of Orion, the brilliant star Alnitak (ζ Ori)), fires a powerful ultraviolet beam into the Flame that dislodges electrons from the massive hydrogen gas clouds that inhabit it. The recombination of the electrons with ionised hydrogen is the main cause of the glow. The dark network that appears in the middle of the glowing gas is caused by additional dark gas and dust that is present in front of the nebula's light region. The Flame Nebula is a component of the star-forming Orion molecular cloud complex, which also contains the well-known Horsehead Nebula.
A cluster of recently formed stars, 86% of which have circumstellar discs, may be found in the Flame Nebula's core. Out of an estimated population of 800 stars, the Chandra X-ray Observatory's X-ray measurements reveal several hundred new-born stars. The cluster's centre is where the youngest stars are clustered, according to X-ray and infrared photographs
The Flame Nebula is an emission nebula in the constellation of Orion with the designations NGC 2024 and Sh2-277. The distance is between 900 and 1,500 light years.
The easternmost star in the Belt of Orion, the brilliant star Alnitak (ζ Ori)), fires a powerful ultraviolet beam into the Flame that dislodges electrons from the massive hydrogen gas clouds that inhabit it. The recombination of the electrons with ionised hydrogen is the main cause of the glow. The dark network that appears in the middle of the glowing gas is caused by additional dark gas and dust that is present in front of the nebula's light region. The Flame Nebula is a component of the star-forming Orion molecular cloud complex, which also contains the well-known Horsehead Nebula.
A cluster of recently formed stars, 86% of which have circumstellar discs, may be found in the Flame Nebula's core. Out of an estimated population of 800 stars, the Chandra X-ray Observatory's X-ray measurements reveal several hundred new-born stars. The cluster's centre is where the youngest stars are clustered, according to X-ray and infrared photographs
This image was taken in the early hours of 17th September and is a mere 1 hour 48 mins of total exposure, with 30 seconds of sub-exposures using the following setup:
Scope – Celestron RASA 8
Mount - Skywatcher EQ6 R Pro
Guide scope – ZWO 30mm
Guide Camera – ZWO ASI 120mm mini
Main Camera – ZWO Asi 533mc Pro
Control box – ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Filter – Baader 2” UV/IR filter
Starizona Filter drawer next to the camera sensor
Fox Halo 96k power bank
Dew heater with its own power bank on the guide scope
(I’m currently in talks with the supplier due to a bad batch of this scope. While this is going on and to solve the issue temporarily, I use a cardboard ring about 1 1/2 “ to stop light hitting the edge of the scope and to resolve the issues of bad stars which can be seen in some earlier pictures (M33 being a very good example))
The overall picture has come out much better than I expected, being it a combined picture of reflection nebula, dark nebula and HII region. Overall the processing was straight forward.
Scope – Celestron RASA 8
Mount - Skywatcher EQ6 R Pro
Guide scope – ZWO 30mm
Guide Camera – ZWO ASI 120mm mini
Main Camera – ZWO Asi 533mc Pro
Control box – ZWO ASIAIR Pro
Filter – Baader 2” UV/IR filter
Starizona Filter drawer next to the camera sensor
Fox Halo 96k power bank
Dew heater with its own power bank on the guide scope
(I’m currently in talks with the supplier due to a bad batch of this scope. While this is going on and to solve the issue temporarily, I use a cardboard ring about 1 1/2 “ to stop light hitting the edge of the scope and to resolve the issues of bad stars which can be seen in some earlier pictures (M33 being a very good example))
The overall picture has come out much better than I expected, being it a combined picture of reflection nebula, dark nebula and HII region. Overall the processing was straight forward.