IC 434

Object: IC 434

Type: Bright Nebula

Distance: 1300 light years
Constellation: Orion
Date: 02 February 2007
Equipment: SXV-H9, 300mm telephoto lens
Subframes: 42 x 120s 2x2 binned subframes in H alpha (unguided), 16 darks, 16 flats/flat darks, calibrated and stacked in AIP4Win.

The telephoto lens used was another junk store purchase and close examination of the star images shows some distortions. This was the same lens used to produce the image of the Rosette Nebula I posted earlier. Image processing can clean up the worst defects and the lens (of unknown make - probably Russian as the name appears in Cyrillic) is perfectly acceptable for use on extended nebulousity.

Below is a false colour image, compiled using data from above, from an earlier shot of the "Flame Nebula" portion (NGC 2024) and also from a shot I took of the Horsehead region to provide more detail of the adjacent small patch of nebulosity NGC 2023.

Click on either for a larger view.