Phil O'Keefe Posted November 23, 2017 Share Posted November 23, 2017 And bagged this... Barnard 33 - more commonly known as the Horsehead Nebula. It's the dark cloud of dust and gas sitting in front of and silhouetted by IC 434, the red Hα emission nebula directly behind it. NGC 2023 is the yellowish reflection nebula on the left. All of these objects are in the constellation Orion - the Horsehead is just a bit south of Alnitak - the easternmost belt star of Orion. I was having some issues with dark frame subtraction with my near real time EAA (Electronically Assisted Astronomy) software so it's got a bit more noise in the image than I'd like, but I was still pretty happy to capture it this well - it's considered one of the more difficult objects for amateur astronomers to observe. Many people spend years looking for it and never manage to find it. Here's a couple more from the same constellation. The Flame Nebula - NGC 2024. This is quite close to the Horsehead Nebula, and actually shows up in wider angle shots of it. The bright star just off-screen to the left is Alnitak. The X lines that you see on brighter stars are diffraction spikes, caused by the light diffracting as it crosses the thin supports of a Newtonian telescope's secondary mirror. Messier 42 and Messier 43. M42 is also known as the Orion Nebula. M43 is the round nebula near the bottom with the star in the center. Orion (the constellation) is the location of some of the closest "solar nurseries" - huge clouds of gas and dust, out of which stars and solar systems coalesce. All of these objects are about 1,500 light years away. Originally I really didn't have plans on trying to bag the Horsehead Nebula - I was out trying to finish my Messier list - I've been taking photos of all 110 Messier objects... and I'm almost done - I just need M26 to finish. Since I got everything else I was after fairly quickly, I decided to give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members erok123 Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 Totally awesome. Very well done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vito Corleone Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 Wow. Great pics! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 Thanks guys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members NOS68 Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 Damn cool pics Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 Damn cool pics Phil. Thank you. It's an enjoyable hobby. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members onelife Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 It makes you wonder what we are fighting about, doesn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Davo-tpL_q Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 Very nice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Chaunch Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 ...diggin the pics Phil. Thanks.These kinds of pics instantly bring a Hendrix lyric to mind..."I have lived here before the days of ice". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Turd Furgison Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 it is amazing how detailed god made the firmament! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members willhaven Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 It really puts things into perspective, doesn't it? [ATTACH=CONFIG]n32107864[/ATTACH] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members AxiomVanguard Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 Nice Share Phil, Thanks... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members harrycox1 Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 I don't think Illinois has a horse season but good luck with your hunt. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 23, 2017 Author Share Posted November 23, 2017 I like the way you think! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Yakburger Posted November 23, 2017 Members Share Posted November 23, 2017 Cool! Horsehead is my screensaver. More specifically this shot:Your images are very good. I keep thinking I'll invest in a nice telescope sometime but the Pacific NW is not the best place for viewing the sky. Too many clouds. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RogueGnome Posted November 24, 2017 Members Share Posted November 24, 2017 Great pictures, Phil. Really. But I think I’m having a flashback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SteinbergerHack Posted November 24, 2017 Members Share Posted November 24, 2017 Very, very nice work, Phil. Thank you for sharing. My father-in-law loves astronomy - he teaches a university course and has made a few 'scopes. I've always enjoyed seeing photos of these more interesting iterstellar structures. Of couse, what is really cool is the idea that it only looks like a horse's head from our vantage point. What would it look like from any other direction? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RGx2 Posted November 24, 2017 Members Share Posted November 24, 2017 That is freaking awesome, Phil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Crazyfoo Posted November 24, 2017 Members Share Posted November 24, 2017 I might have to make that my fb cover photo and tell everyone I took it.That’s how I do bro!!:~) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Telecruiser Posted November 24, 2017 Members Share Posted November 24, 2017 Thank you. It's an enjoyable hobby. Gets ya out of the studio doesn't it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bildo Posted November 24, 2017 Members Share Posted November 24, 2017 Cool stuff there!The county I live in, Harris County. Has possibly the biggest Horse population of any in America. Over 4.5 million horses!! Yep! We have six stables within five miles of our house. We go for a drive at nights and stop and talk and pet the ones that come to the fence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lerber3 Posted November 24, 2017 Members Share Posted November 24, 2017 What equipment are you using... those images are fantastic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members thankyou Posted November 24, 2017 Members Share Posted November 24, 2017 I don't think Illinois has a horse season but good luck with your hunt. The French know how to cook 'em. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 Cool! Horsehead is my screensaver. More specifically this shot: Your images are very good. I keep thinking I'll invest in a nice telescope sometime but the Pacific NW is not the best place for viewing the sky. Too many clouds. Now THAT'S a great shot! You can see not just the Horsehead, but also Alnitak with the Flame Nebula right below it, all of IC 434, NGC 2023, and a second "belt star" - Alnilam. Here's a great shot from Wiki showing the larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex... it's amazing how much "stuff" there is to see in that one constellation alone - some of it is so large (such as Barnard's Loop, the large red C shaped Hα emission nebula that circles the left / east side of the constellation) that you really need a wide angle instrument to capture it, or you have to do a collage of multiple images... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil O'Keefe Posted November 24, 2017 Author Share Posted November 24, 2017 Thank you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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