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The
Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33) and the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) are two iconic deep-sky objects located in the constellation Orion, just east of Orion’s Belt near the bright star Alnitak (Zeta Orionis). Both nebulae lie within the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex and are situated at an approximate distance of 1,300–1,500 light-years from Earth.
The Horsehead Nebula is a dark nebula composed of dense, cold molecular gas and dust that obscures the glowing hydrogen emission nebula IC 434 behind it. Its distinctive silhouette, resembling a horse’s head and neck, is created by thick dust lanes blocking visible light. The nebula spans roughly 3.5 light-years in height and is a region of active star formation, though much of this activity is hidden from view by the dense dust.
The Flame Nebula, also known as NGC 2024, is an emission nebula illuminated primarily by the intense ultraviolet radiation from the nearby massive star Alnitak. This radiation ionizes surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to glow, while complex dark dust lanes crisscross the nebula, giving it its flame-like appearance. Embedded within the nebula is a cluster of very young stars, many of which are still shrouded in gas and dust, making them difficult to observe at visible wavelengths. [from AI generated output]
Total image time was about 1 hour after culling some images.
| Moon Phase | Waning Crescent 34% |
| Exposure | 114 x 30 sec |
| Gain | 200 |
| Camera | ZWO SeeStar S30Pro [3840 × 2160] IMX585 |
| Optics | ZWO SeeStar S30Pro EQ mode [Focal length 160, Aperture 30 mm, f/5.3] |
| Guiding | NA |
| Controller | NA |
| Filter | IR Cut |
| Location | Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia. |
| Date | 2026-03-04 |
| Processing | Processed in PixInsight. |
| PixInsight Processing |
| WeightedBatchPreprocessing Script [ 2x drizzle ] |
| BlurXTerminator |
| GraXpert |
| NoiseXTerminator |
| MultiScaleAdaptiveStretch |
| HDRMultiScaleTransform |
| CurveTransformation |
|
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