01
FEB
2023

25 years in the making

The Horsehead and Flame Nebula taken with William Optics Zenithstar 73

Back in the late 1990’s I was a teenager in high school. Hung above the science department door was a big colour poster of the Horsehead Nebula. I have no doubt seeing this image every day inspired my lifelong passion for astronomy. Capturing the same image 25 years on feels like a significant moment.

Image details: Modified Nikon D5500 and William Optics ZenithStar 73 II APO with 73a field flattener at 430mm / f5.9. 246 minutes of exposure time (90 x 120 seconds + 22 x 180 seconds) at iso 800. Using Optolong L-eNhance filter. Tracked with unguided AstroTrac TT320X-AG. Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker with 15 dark / 30 flat / 40 bias frames. Sequenced with N.I.N.A.. Edited with Photoshop and Starnet++

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