Home Galaxy Gallery Nebula Gallery Globular Clusters Open Clusters My Equipment Misc Astro Gallery

  

IC 2118 "Witchhead" in Eridanus

 

CLICK ON IMAGE FOR FULL SIZE VIEW (2400 x 1800)

Scope: FSQ-106N at  f/5,  Blair Valley, Anza Borrego Desert, CA,  27 December 2011, Camera: ST8300M

Exposure: 12 x 10 minutes (1x1) UV/IR Block ,  and 10 x 4 minute (2x2) RGB Exposures 

Processing: Images were captured with CCDSoft. Aligned/stacked and dark subtracted in Astroart ; Sigma Combine method was used for stacking subs.  All channels were scaled and rough color balanced in Astroart.   Channels were co-registered in Astroart.   UV/IR Block exposures  were used for the main luminance construction.  Level adjustments and curves were used to bring out object features.   LRGB combine was done in Photoshop.   Final touches and color balance in Photoshop. Final Image size is approximately 3252x2532 (cropped and resized to 2400x1800).

North is up in this image. The Witchhead Nebula is a complex of dust and gas forming a reflection nebula from the light of the star Rigel which is not in this image field but just off to the lower left. In this orientation, the Witchhead is inverted with the witch's knobby chin in the upper left. Some bluish flare from the very bright Rigel can be seen in the lower left of this image. The Witchhead is  a distance of about 1,000 light years from Earth. This image replaces an earlier image that can be seen in the Archives here.  The Vertical FOV is 120'.

Image center is located approximately - Equatorial 2000: RA: 05h 05m 23s Dec: -07°02'36"

 

 

All images and content remain the property of Jim Thommes - copyright 2003 - 2012

Current Web Total Hits -

- Unique Visitors