Horsehead Nebula
Catalog Designation: IC 434
Distance: 1,375 light years
Constellation: Orion
Type: Emission Nebula
This well known nebula lies within the constellation of Orion. Made famous by the Hubble Space Telescope, this nebula is also very accessible and very commonly imaged by amateur astrophotographers across the northern hemispehere.
The region is rich with ionized hydrogen gas, seen as red within these images. This gas is energized by a nearby star system (Sigma Ori) due to strong ultraviolet radiation the star is emitting. The Flame nebula is also located nearby and can be seen at the bottom left of the first image.
Telecope: Askar 80PHQ with 0.76x reducer, 457mm focal length
Camera: ZWO 533MC Pro
Mount: Skywatcher HEQ5 Pro
Accessories: ZWO Electronic Auto Focuser, ZWO Off-Axis Guider, generic Amazon USB dewband heater
Image 1: 3.4 hours total integration (102 x 120s) (Bortle 7/8)
Image 2: 2.25 hours total integration (45 x 180s) (Bortle 7/8)