The Horsehead and the Flame Nebulas 2/1/11
We were fortunate enough to have another couple of nights of clearing, and I decided to try out an alternative imaging platform I have been working on. This setup is based on the Vixen ED80SF 80mm Apochromatic scope that I used to use for guiding! What makes imaging with this scope possible is the new Orion ED80 focal reducer / field flattener that just happens to be a perfect fit for this scope and the DSLR camera I typically use for imaging.
This image contains both the Horsehead (IC 434) and the Flame Nebulas (NGC 2024). This is possible because the Vixen ED80SF with focal reducer attached has a much shorter focal length than the Celestron C11 I normally use, giving it a much wider field of view. (Using the C11, I would only be able to get part of the horsehead nebula in a single frame and not both)
Here are the details:
The Horsehead (IC434) and the Flame Nebulas (NGC 2024)
4 exposures, with 5-minute subs at ISO 1600 taken on January 31, 2011
15 exposures, with 5-minute subs at ISO 1600 taken on February 1, 2010
17 exposures, with 8-minute subs at ISO 1600 taken on February 1, 2010
Imaging scope: Vixen ED80SF on CGE Mount
Reducers: Orion ED80 Focal Reducer / Field Flattener
Filters: Astronomik CLS
Imaging camera: Canon XS/1000d with heatmirror replace with Baader filter glass
Guide scope: Modified Celestron 9×50 finder scope
Guide camera: Orion Starshoot Autoguider
Captured with Nebulosity
Guided with PHD
Stacked in DSS