SOCO IMAGE GALLERY


 

M 78    (NGC 2068)

M 78 (NGC 2068) is a reflection nebula located in the Winter constellation Orion. Unlike many of the other images of nebulas that I have acquired, M 78 is illuminated purely by reflected starlight. Even though I acquired imagery in the Hα spectral band, it made no discernable contribution to the appearance of this nebula. The reason is simple— the two main stars (HD 38563A and HD 38563B) within the nebula do not emit sufficient UV light to ionize the neighboring interstellar hydrogen gas to produce the characteristic red Hα emissions. In my image, M 78 is the lower of the two reflection nebulas. The upper nebula is designated NGC 2071. Several other dimmer reflection nebulas next to M 78 also have NGC numbers. The other notable features of this object are the dark nebulas. A huge dark arch rides along the top of M 78, so that the appearance of the bright reflection nebula is like sunlight pouring through a break in storm clouds.
There is another interesting feature in this image. About halfway between M 78 and the bottom of the image is a small pair of yellowish stars. Immediately to the right of this binary is a small brown-ish smudge of a nebula about the same size as the pair of binary stars. This smudge is McNeil's Nebula. This small object was discovered by amateur astronomer Jay McNeil— it was first noticed in an image he made on 23 January 2004 (using a 3-inch refractor!). It was not present in older images. Its appearance has been associated with a marked increase in the brightness of the star IRAS 05436-0007, which sits at the lower end of the small nebula. More proof that things are constantly changing in the Universe!
M 78 is part of a huge nebular complex in Orion that includes M 42, the Horsehead Nebula, and other prominent nebulas in the region.

Date(s) Acquired: 3 December 2015
Telescope: Orion 120mm EON Apochromatic Refractor
Camera: QSI Model 583

 

   Exposure Time (min) 
   Number of Exposures
   RGB
   1.5
   
   15
   
   -
   OIII
   -
   RGB
   16
   
   6
   
   0
   OIII
   0

 

Processing:
Master red, green, blue and Hα images created using SuperSIAM.
Hybrid master red image created using Basic Processing Procedure II.
Color composite image created using Basic Processing Procedure III.
Color composite image contrast-stretched using Adobe Photoshop.




 

 

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