Messier 78 (M78) is a reflection nebula located in the northern constellation Orion. It is the brightest diffuse reflection nebula in the sky. It has an apparent magnitude of 8.3 and lies at an approximate distance of 1,600 light years from Earth. It has the designation
NGC 2068 in the New General Catalogue.
Messier 78 occupies an area of 8 by 6 arc minutes, which corresponds to a linear diameter of about 10 light years. The nebula is pretty easy to find as it is located only about 2 degrees north and 1.5 degrees east of Alnitak, the easternmost star of Orion’s Belt. Alnitak has two other prominent nebulae associated with it: the Horsehead Nebula and the Flame Nebula. M78 is a bit further away from the star than these two.
It was bittery cold last night at -20C with a wind chill of -30C but we don't get many clear nights so I got out and finished this target.
Imaged with the QHY268C on the
SW Esprit 120ED on January 7,11,12,21. Total integration time was 7hrs 40min with 115x240sec subs.
As always thank you for looking and C&C welcomed.
Alex
Scope: SW Esprit 120ED, Askar FRA300
Mount: ZWO AM5
Cameras: QHY268M/C, QHY183M/C, ASI290MM
Software: Pixinsight, AstroPixelProcessor, SGP
Observatory: Exploradome with Nexdome rotator
https://www.astrobin.com/users/ic_1101/