The Witch Head Nebula
About 900 light-years away, IC 2118 is known as the Witch Head Nebula (for obvious reasons.) It is a faint reflection nebula near the Orion Constellation that is illuminated by the nearby supergiant star Rigel. Star formation is occurring within the Nebula.
December 22, 2023
Another interesting object in the Orion Constellation is the Witch Head Nebula. .It is a faint reflection nebula, only glowing primarily due to the intense light from the nearby supergiant star Rigel. It was a rather challenging target to process, as the faint dust and gas is in fairly low contrast to the dark sky background, even on 3 minute exposures!
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: William Optics RedCat 51 II
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: SVBony UV/IR Cut 2”
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: Siril, Photoshop, NoiseXterminator
Guiding Telescope: William Optics UniGuide 32
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: Dec. 17, 2023
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 44x180” (2h12m)
Integration Time: 2h42m
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00