In 2023 I once again took on the Horsehead and Flame Nebula — this time with my fast Newtonian. For comparison: with my f/5 Newtonian I would have needed 8.5 hours of exposure to collect the same amount of photons.
The Horsehead Nebula (IC434) and the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) are two nebulae in the constellation Orion. The Horsehead Nebula is a dark nebula of dust that blocks the light of the stars behind it, forming a horse’s-head-like silhouette. The Flame Nebula is a glowing red emission nebula illuminated by young, hot stars.
| IMAGE DATA | |
|---|---|
| Object | IC434 Horsehead Nebula & NGC2040 Flame Nebula |
| Distance | 1,500 light years |
| Date | 07.12.2023 |
| Exposure | 17x600sec. Ha & OIII, 20x180sec. RGB- Total approx. 4h |
| Mount | Skywatcher EQ6-R Pro |
| Telescope | Skywatcher 150 Quattro |
| Camera | ZWO ASI 2600mc Pro |
| Filter | Optolong L-Extreme |
| Corrector | Skywatcher coma corrector |
| Guiding | Zwo Asi OAG with ZWO Asi 290mm Mini & Asiair |
| Software | AsiAir, Astropixel Processor, Photoshop CC, Topaz Deniose AI, Star X Terminator |