REFLECTION NEBULA MESSIER 78 INTERSTELLAR PATCH

It will appear as a small hazy patch through a telescope, as long as you are viewing this nebula in a sky free of moonlight and light pollution. M78 lies within the constellation Orion, north of Alnitak, and the famous Horsehead Nebula. This relatively small reflection nebula is easy to overlook because of it’s proximity to much larger, brighter and more noteworthy nebulous regions such as the Orion Nebula. Processed in Adobe Photoshop CC Location of Messier 78 Processing Software: Deep Sky Stacker, Photoshop CC Total Exposure: 5 Hours, 30 Minutes (72 frames – 4 and 4.5-minute exposures)

REFLECTION NEBULA MESSIER 78 INTERSTELLAR PRO

Guiding: Meade DSI Pro II and PHD Guiding Telescope: Explore Scientific ED80 with WO Flat III 0.8x FR/FF The M78 Reflection Nebula in Orion photographed with a DSLR camera and small telescope Astrophotography Details: The image below shows Messier 78 with nearby NGC 2071 at the lower left. My Canon EOS Rebel XSi (450D) had not had the full-spectrum modification treatment yet, meaning this DSLR was completely stock.Īs always, I took the time to capture 15 dark frames to subtract noise from my final integration. My old autoguiding system included an Orion mini 50mm guide scope and Meade DSI Pro II. This was back when my Celestron CG-5 was fully functional and providing consistent images night after night. I photographed this reflection nebula over the course of several cold nights from a dark sky site. M78 is classified as a reflection nebula because the dust particles are reflecting starlight from the intensely hot, young stars beneath it. The nebula is lit by a stellar nursery of young stars that illuminate the area with scattered blue light. Some people refer to this reflection nebula as the Casper the Friendly Ghost Nebula. The image includes 3 hours of total exposure time using a UV/IR filter.

The image above was captured using a one-shot-color astronomy camera, and a Radian Raptor 61 telescope.

Reflection nebulae are probably my favorite type of deep-sky objects in the night sky, as they seem to perfectly depict the cold vastness of space. There is something about the M78 reflection nebula in Orion that has captivated me since the first time I saw it. It is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula in a group of nebulae that includes NGC 2064, NGC 2067, and NGC 2071. Messier 78 (NGC 2068) is a beautiful blue reflection nebula in the constellation Orion.

Reflection nebula messier 78 interstellar