Not Ready for Primetime Stars
M78 Reflection Nebula in Orion
Messier 78 is a fine example of a reflection nebula. The ultraviolet radiation from the stars that illuminate it is not intense enough to ionize the gas to make it glow — its dust particles simply reflect the starlight that falls on them. Despite this, Messier 78 can easily be observed with a small telescope, being one of the brightest reflection nebulae in the sky. It lies about 1350 light-years away in the constellation of Orion (The Hunter) and can be found northeast of the easternmost star of Orion’s belt (Credit eso.org).
This image was taken in the Panamint Valley California in Feb. 2015 over 4 nights. One of the few images that I have taken at the native focal length of the scope (usually f4.1). Conditions good each night for at least part of the night with good to excellent seeing, but thin clouds managed to show up late at night.
Details: Televue NP127is refractor at f5.2; Atik 383L+ at -18 deg C; Orion EQ-G mount;TS OAG; Orion StarShoot guide camera. Astrodon E series LRGB filters. Luminance: 49x600s; RGB: 28/26/24x300s
M78 Reflection Nebula in Orion
Messier 78 is a fine example of a reflection nebula. The ultraviolet radiation from the stars that illuminate it is not intense enough to ionize the gas to make it glow — its dust particles simply reflect the starlight that falls on them. Despite this, Messier 78 can easily be observed with a small telescope, being one of the brightest reflection nebulae in the sky. It lies about 1350 light-years away in the constellation of Orion (The Hunter) and can be found northeast of the easternmost star of Orion’s belt (Credit eso.org).
This image was taken in the Panamint Valley California in Feb. 2015 over 4 nights. One of the few images that I have taken at the native focal length of the scope (usually f4.1). Conditions good each night for at least part of the night with good to excellent seeing, but thin clouds managed to show up late at night.
Details: Televue NP127is refractor at f5.2; Atik 383L+ at -18 deg C; Orion EQ-G mount;TS OAG; Orion StarShoot guide camera. Astrodon E series LRGB filters. Luminance: 49x600s; RGB: 28/26/24x300s