The Monkeyhead Nebula
NGC 2175 is an open star cluster in the Orion constellation, embedded in a diffusion nebula, SH2-252, which is also known as the Monkeyhead Nebula. It is roughly 6,350 light years away from Earth.
January 17, 2025
The streak of clear nights ended last night, so I decided to grab one more object I haven’t imaged before. This is my first time imaging the Monkeyhead Nebula. It’s relatively nearby the Tadpole Nebula, so just as before, it’s getting a little late in the year for imaging this object, but I wanted to make sure to capture it before it’s gone. I was able to gather 5 hours of useable subframes out of 9 hours of shooting. Like before, everything went smoothly but I there were some high level clouds that ruined about 3.5 hours worth of data, and I tossed about another 30 minutes worth of lower quality frames. This nebula has a striking resemblance to the Pacman Nebula in shape and composition. In the future, more integration time would be good, but this result is still worthwhile to share.
Technical Details
Imaging Telescope: Orion Optics UK Ideal 8
Imaging Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ6-R Pro
Filter: Antlia ALP-T Dual Band 5nm 2”
Accessories: ZWO ASIAIR Plus, ZWO EAF, ZWO Filter Drawer (Gen 2)
Software: PixInsight, Starnet, BlurXterminator, NoiseXterminator, AutoDBE, SetiAstro NB to RGB Star Combination, SetiAstro Statistical Stretch, DBExtract
Guiding Telescope: SVBony SV106 60mm Guide Scope
Guiding Camera: ZWO ASI174MM
Imaging Dates: January 15, 2025
Frames (gain 101.0) f/4.9 -10c: 100×180″(5h)
Integration Time: 5h
Darks/Flats/Dark Flats: 30/30/30
Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 5.00