Astronomers like to name things, based upon resemblance if possible, to make them easier to remember. LDN 1622 is called the “Boogeyman Nebula”.
I chose to image it because of the dense dark molecular cloud structure against the hydrogen rich background. I chose the wider field of the SkyWatcher Esprit 120ED triplet refractor telescope to capture the space behind the huge Barnards Loop hydrogen cloud that is home for the Boogeyman. A cloud within a cloud within a cloud, if you will.
LDN 1622 is close to the plane of our Milky Way Galaxy, close to Barnard’s Loop, a large cloud surrounding the Belt and Sword of Orion. It is a fairly dim target, at 1,300 light-years away, requiring long exposure photography to illuminate its beauty. My image consists of 20.5 hours of exposure using an Antlia quadband light pollution filter with a ZWO 2600MC pro camera on a Skywatcher Eq6r Pro mount.
I hope you enjoy this unique image from the Orion Constellation.
The Silver Sliver Galaxy Caldwell 23, also known as NGC 891, is an edge-on unbarred spiral galaxy located in the constellation Andromeda.
It is about 30 million light-years away from Earth and is best viewed in our fall season. A spindle-shaped galaxy that is viewed almost edge-on, it is also known as the Silver Sliver Galaxy, the Outer Limits Galaxy, and the Silver Needle Galaxy.
C 23 is visible in small to moderate size telescopes as a faint elongated smear of light with a dust lane visible in larger apertures. Its outskirts are populated by multiple low-surface brightness, and vast substructures, like giant streams that loop around the parent galaxy. The bulge and the disk are surrounded by a flat and thick cocoon-like stellar structure.
In popular 1960’s culture, NGC 891 appears alongside M67, the Sombrero Galaxy, the Pinwheel Galaxy, NGC 5128, NGC 1300, M81, and the Andromeda Galaxy in the end credits of the Outer Limits TV series, which is why it is occasionally called the Outer Limits Galaxy.
This image was taken December 19th, 2023 and January 31st 2024 with a RC8 telescope at 1625mm and ASI071MC camera riding an EQ6r Pro mount. I hope you enjoy this galaxy image.
IC 2574, also known as Coddington’s Nebula, is a dwarf spiral galaxy in the Ursa Major constellation in our northern sky. It’s located 12 million light-years away and is about 50,000 light-years across.
Looking up towards the North in my bortle 4 sky reveals bright stars which are somewhat recognizable like Cygnus, Cassiopeia, The Big Dipper, and the rectangle of the big bear (Ursa Major). There doesn’t appear to be much else this time of year, especially with a bright moon, but looks can be deceiving.
When imaging this target with 5 minute exposures (071mc) at a 1625mm focal length (RC8), a faint smudge appears where the galaxy is supposed to be. This is not one of those big bright galaxies we so often see photographed. This image is an integration of 11 hours of exposure. Even then it’s a fairly faint target. A plate-solved version is available here on my Astrobin collection including all of the imaging technical details.
American astronomer Edwin Foster Coddington discovered IC 2574 in 1898. It’s classified as a dwarf irregular galaxy because of its small size and lack of structure. IC 2574 is a member of the M81 group of galaxies (Bode’s, Cigar, Garland galaxies), which is one of the closest groups to our local group. It contains active star-forming regions that show strong H-alpha emissions, especially in the lower left part of the galaxy in my image.
Astronomers consider IC 2574 an irregular dwarf galaxy because it’s small, lacks structure, and is forming stars. Dwarf galaxies are small galaxies made up of a few billion stars. In 1898 it looked like a smear and therefore was called a nebula by Edwin Coddington. Improved resolution of telescopes over time revealed it to be a galaxy. Of course now with the Hubble Telescope, a population census is possible. Cheers!
Hidden in the outskirts of the Orion constellation, close to the Witchhead Nebula (IC 2118), we can find an area rich in interstellar gas and dust around the reflection nebula NGC 1788. This bright deep sky object attracts our attention among all that faint dust and gas. It is flanked by the dark nebula known as Lynds 1616.
I began imaging NGC 1788 on January 1st and continued on the nights of Jan 4th, 7th, 10th and 11th. I acquired a touch over 200 5 minute exposures. I remember it was bloody cold! This was imaged with the Skywatcher Esprit 120ED telescope at 840mm focal length using a ZWO ASI2600MC camera.
NGC 1788 is about 2,000 light years away from Earth and is sometimes called the “Cosmic Bat” nebula. It is made up of blue reflection regions, lots of dust, and a glowing area of hydrogen gas. It is close to the celestial equator, so it is sometimes visible from both hemispheres at certain times of the year. The brightest star in the nebula is 10th magnitude and is in the northwest sector.
Although this ghostly cloud is rather isolated from Orion’s bright stars, their powerful winds and light have a strong impact on the nebula, forging its shape and making it a home to a multitude of newborn stars.
I’ve enjoyed imaging these reflection nebula showing something a little different in our night sky.
The first thing that struck me as I began to see this image unfold is the vast number of stars found in the illuminated sky. Varying temperatures are seen in the gases with hot Hydrogen gases glowing in reddish hues with cooler gases expanding outward.
IC 2177 is a region of nebulosity that lies along the border between the constellations Monoceros and Canis Major. The name Seagull Nebula is sometimes applied by astronomers to this emission region as it resembles a gull in flight, although it also includes the neighboring regions of star clusters, dust clouds and reflection nebulae.
Astronomers catalog the nebula as IC 2177. This cosmic cloud is one of many sites of star formation within the Milky Way galaxy. It is located 3,800 light-years away from Earth, inside the Orion spur — the same partial spiral arm of the Milky Way where our solar system is located. The nebula is nearly 240 light-years across.
NGC 2327 is located in IC 2177. It is also known as the Seagull’s Head, due to its larger presence in the Seagull nebula. Astronomers list the region near the seagull’s eye (or lizard’s hip) as NGC 2327, which contains a cluster of stars born about 1.5 million years ago. The eye is the brightest and hottest of the newborn stars in the entire nebula, and heats up the dust so that it glows in infrared light.
Dominated by the reddish glow of atomic hydrogen, the complex of gas and dust clouds with bright young stars spans over 100 light-years at an estimated 3,800 light-year distance.
This image consists of 11 hours of exposures with an ASI071MC pro OSC camera connected to a WO Z73 doublet refractor telescope riding a SW EQ6r Pro mount. Image acquisition with APT, processing in PixInsight.
The Monkey Head Nebula (also known as NGC 2174 and Sharpless Sh2-252) is a star-forming region located 6,400 light-years away in the constellation Orion in which bright, newborn stars near the center of the nebula illuminate the surrounding gas with energetic radiation. The nebula is mostly composed of hydrogen gas. The cloud is sculpted by ultraviolet light carving into the cool hydrogen gas and dust. As the interstellar dust particles are warmed from the radiation from the stars in the center of the nebula, they heat up and begin to glow at infrared wavelengths.
The prime source of energy in the nebula is the massive, hot star named HD 42088. This star has a mass 30 times that of our Sun and a surface temperature 6 times greater. Such stars emit extraordinary amounts of ultraviolet radiation. The high-energy particles in these stars’ outer atmospheres are being blown away in high-speed “stellar winds.”
The ultraviolet radiation causes the nebula to shine. In combination with the stellar wind, this radiation also causes the nebula to expand. Dust and gas are being evaporated and scattered by the energy from the hot star. Where there is a very dense condensation, a pillar is formed pointing toward the star, because the knot shields the material behind it.
If the knot is dense enough, rather than scattering, it may be pushed to collapse into a new star. Such an event is occurring in a pillar above center right of the image. This cannot be seen in visible light, because those wavelengths are blocked by the pillar’s dust. The new star will eventually shed its dusty cocoon and emerge to be seen in optical wavelengths.
This image was captured January 22nd and 23rd 2021 and is made up of 163 240s subs. It was taken with an ASI071MC Pro camera, with OPT Radian Quad Ultra filter, attached to a WO Z73 refractor telescope riding a SkyWatcher EQ6r Pro mount. Guding via a WO 50mm guidescope and ASI120mm mini camera. Pegasus PBA provides power distribution and USB connectivity. QHY Polemaster for precise polar alignment. Senso Sesto electronic focuser.
Flame and Horsehead Nebula in the Orion Molecular Cloud
The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex is situated close to the celestial equator and, as such, it is at least partly visible from both hemispheres in certain times of the year. This means that astrophotographers all over the world are able to share their images of the areas targets including this Flame, Horsehead, Orion, Running Man and De Marian’s Nebula among others. Here in the northern hemispehere its a winter target. Clear cold nights allow for stunning images.
This image captures several distinct items. The Flame Nebula, designated as NGC 2024 and Sh2-277, is an emission nebula situated just next to the very bright star Alnitak. It is about 900 to 1,500 light-years away. That bright star Alnitak (ζ Ori), the easternmost star in the Belt of Orion, shines energetic ultraviolet light into the Flame and this knocks electrons away from the great clouds of hydrogen gas that reside there. Much of the glow results when the electrons and ionized hydrogen recombine. Additional dark gas and dust lies in front of the bright part of the nebula and this is what causes the dark network that appears in the center of the glowing gas. In this center is a concentrated cluster of newly formed stars.
The Flame Nebula is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex, a star-forming region that includes the famous Horsehead Nebula. The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33) is a small dark nebula in the constellation Orion. The nebula is located just to the south of that bright star, Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt within the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. It appears within the southern region of the dense dust cloud known as Lynds 1630, along the edge of the much larger, active star-forming H II region called IC 434, which is the backdrop of the Horsehead.
The Horsehead Nebula is approximately 422 parsecs or 1,375 light-years from Earth. It is one of the most identifiable nebulae because of its resemblance to a horse’s head. The nebula was first recorded in 1888 by Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming on a photographic plate taken at the Harvard College Observatory. One of the first descriptions was made by E. E. Barnard, describing it as: “Dark mass, diam. 4′, on nebulous strip extending south from ζ Orionis”, cataloguing the dark nebula as Barnard 33 The dark cloud of dust and gas is a region in the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex where star formation is taking place.
Colour images reveal a deep-red colour that originates from ionised hydrogen gas (Hα) predominantly behind the nebula, and caused by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis. Magnetic fields channel the gases, leaving the nebula into streams, shown as foreground streaks against the background glow. A glowing strip of hydrogen gas marks the edge of the enormous cloud, and the densities of nearby stars are noticeably different on either side.
Heavy concentrations of dust in the Horsehead Nebula region and neighbouring Orion Nebula are localized into interstellar clouds, resulting in alternating sections of nearly complete opacity and transparency. The darkness of the Horsehead is caused mostly by thick dust blocking the light of stars behind it. The lower part of the Horsehead’s neck casts a shadow to the left. The visible dark nebula emerging from the gaseous complex is an active site of the formation of “low-mass” stars. Bright spots in the Horsehead Nebula’s base are young stars just in the process of forming.
Orion Nebula (M42); De Mairan’s Nebula (M43); Running Man Nebula (Sh2-279)
The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way south of Orion’s Belt in the constellation of Orion. It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of 1,344 light years and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth. The M42 nebula is estimated to be 24 light years across. It has a mass of about 2,000 times that of the Sun.
De Mairan’s Nebula (M43) is a star-forming nebula with a prominent H II region in the equatorial constellation of Orion. It was discovered by the French scientist Jean-Jacques Dortous de Mairan some time before 1731, then catalogued by French astronomer Charles Messier on March 4, 1769. The De Mairan’s Nebula is part of the Orion Nebula (M42), being separated from the main nebula by a dense lane of dust known as the northeast dark lane. It is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex.
The main ionizing star in this nebula is HD 37061, which is positioned near the center of the H II region and located 1,300ly from the Sun. This is a triple star system with the brighter component being a single-lined spectroscopic binary. The main component is a blue-white hued B-type main-sequence star with a stellar classification of B0.5V or B1V. It has 19 times the mass of the Sun and 5.7 times the Sun’s radius. The star is radiating over 26,000 times the Sun’s luminosity from its photosphere at an effective temperature of 31,000 K. It is spinning rapidly with a projected rotational velocity of around 200 km/s.
The H II region of M43 is a roundish volume of ionized hydrogen centered on HD 37061. There is a dark lane crossing in front of the region from north to south, known as the M43 dark lane.
Sh2-279 (Running Man Nebula) is an HII region and bright nebulae that includes a reflection nebula located in the constellation Orion. It is the northernmost part of the asterism known as Orion’s Sword, lying 0.6° north of the Orion Nebula. The reflection nebula embedded in Sh2-279 is popularly known as the Running Man Nebula. The Running Man Nebula is a popular target for amateur astrophotographers, as it lies close to the Orion Nebula and has many nearby guide stars. The outline of the running man shows up primarily in photographs; it is difficult to perceive visually through telescopes, though the reflection nebula itself is visible in small to medium apertures in dark skies.
The Orion Nebula is one of the most scrutinized and photographed objects in the night sky, and is among the most intensely studied celestial features. While that may be true, it was a very difficult target to photograph without blowing out the core and the large stars. It is surrounded by hydrogen gas as seen in the red hues thoughout. The dark nebula of M43 as well as the Running Man nebula add character to the image.
The nebula has revealed much about the process of how stars and planetary systems are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust. Astronomers have directly observed protoplanetary disks, brown dwarfs, intense and turbulent motions of the gas, and the photo-ionizing effects of massive nearby stars in the nebula.
The Nebula is visible with the naked eye even from areas affected by some light pollution. It is seen as the middle “star” in the “sword” of Orion, which are the three stars located south of Orion’s Belt. The star appears fuzzy to sharp-eyed observers, and the nebulosity is obvious through binoculars or a small telescope.
The Orion Nebula contains a very young open cluster, known as the Trapezium due to the asterism of its primary four stars. Two of these can be resolved into their component binary systems on nights with good seeing, giving a total of six stars. The stars of the Trapezium, along with many other stars, are still in their early years. The Trapezium is a component of the much larger Orion Nebula Cluster, an association of about 2,800 stars within a diameter of 20 light years. Two million years ago this cluster may have been the home of the runaway stars AE Aurigae, 53 Arietis, and Mu Columbae, which are currently moving away from the nebula at speeds greater than 100 km/s (62 mi/s).
There has been speculation that the Mayans of Central America may have described the nebula within their “Three Hearthstones” creation myth; if so, the three would correspond to two stars at the base of Orion, Rigel and Saiph, and another, Alnitak at the tip of the “belt” of the imagined hunter, the vertices of a nearly perfect equilateral triangle with Orion’s Sword (including the Orion Nebula) in the middle of the triangle seen as the smudge of smoke from copal incense in a modern myth, or, in an ancient one, the literal or figurative embers of a fiery creation.
I encourage you to have a read of the wikipedia information available. The observing and photographic history of this complex is very interesting. Who knew that in the 1600’s people made telescopes?
A sickle for cutting hay or some sort of weapon – that’s what I first saw.
Flaming Star Nebula
The Flaming Star nebula (IC405 or Caldwell 31) is fairly unique nebula in the constellation Auriga with obvious emission and reflection components.
At first when imaging this target it appears as an isolated piece of Nebula taking the shape of a sickle for cutting hay or long grass back in the day. (yeah, I’m old). But as the stretch began on this image and the Ha & OIII were rejoined the enormity of the nebulosity became apparent.
Specifically, there’s this faint wisp that is present in the center of the nebula. Both components are due, either directly or indirectly (via dust), to the illumination of the bluish runaway star AE Aurigae. It lies ~1500 light years away from Earth and is about five light years across. It is believed that the proper motion of the central star can be traced back to the Orion’s Belt area. This nebula is very close to the Tadpoles nebula (bottom left of the image).
This image is comprised of 248 subs collected in November 2020 – (81 @ 180s; 129 @ 240s; 38 @ 360s = 987 minutes of exposure or 16.45 hours)
Gear: EQ6r Pro Eq mount; WO Z73 scope; ZWO ASI071MC Pro OSC camera; WO 50mm guidescope; ZWO ASI120mm mini guide camera; Senso Sesto 2 Focuser; Pegasus PBA; Polemaster
Software: Stellarium for planning; APT for image capture; PHD2 guiding; Pixinsight for processing; PS for metadata update and jpg creation.
The Soul Nebula is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia.
Soul Nebula in Cassiopeia
In astrophotography the key to a good image is integration time, especially if you image with a broadband color camera. This image now consists of 6 hours of exposure on this target. As a newbie in this hobby it takes me time to process an image so I try to wait until sufficient data has been collected before starting the process. Of course opportunities for imaging are sparse in the cloudy nights of summer here in the blue ridge. Fall is coming!
The Soul Nebula is an emission nebula located in the constellation Cassiopeia. It forms a famous pair known as the Heart and Soul with the neighbouring Heart Nebula (IC 1805). The Soul Nebula is sometimes also known as the Embryo Nebula or IC 1848, which is a designation used for the open star cluster embedded within the nebula.
The Heart and Soul Nebulae complex spans an area about 300 light years across and is a vast star-forming region illuminated by the light of the young stars surrounded by star-forming clouds of dust and gas. The two large clouds are separated by only 2.5 degrees and physically connected by a bridge of gas. The stars in the region are less than a few million years old and are only beginning their life. For comparison, our Sun has been around for almost 5 billion years.
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