Image by Paul McFadden
The Horsehead (Barnard 33) and Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) are about 1,400 light years away in the constellation Orion. Part of the Orion complex, the dark cloud of gas and dust is a region where star formation is taking place. Color images are created by taking individual images with a monochrome camera through separate hydrogen alpha, red, green and blue filters. Since the objects have very low brightness, multiple long exposures are used to create the final image. A tracking mount that compensates for the earth's rotation prevents star trailing during the long exposures. Camera Santa Barbara Instuments Group STL11000M Telescope Astro-Physics 130mm EDFS f6 Focal Length 780mm Aperture f6 Exposure Time Hydrogen Alpha 5 x 30 min (total 5.5 hr.) Red 4 x 15 min Green 4 x 15min Blue 4 x 15min Date Taken 1/20/2006 - 1/21/2006 Image by Tom Auchter
Image by Bob Reynolds
