horeshead

[JJDOBBER79]

Hi all,
I am going to buy a h beta and have a go for the horsehead hopefully next new moon from my extremely dark site. I tried it 2 new moons ago from the same site with no filter and I found the flame nebula but didnt know which direction to go after that. I cant seem to find a decent map and all I get are pictures like this. can anyone identify the stars in this picture so that I can get some idea of orientation?

[JJDOBBER79]

attachment didnt work. Try this

[astro744]

Just do a web search for "star chart showing horsehead" and you will find plenty of images. The image called HH-finder.gif shows it well.

Note the nebula that is seen pink in photos is near invisible (black) and the 'horse head' object itself is just a little blacker than the surrounding black. Aperture and the H-beta filter helps but it is not guaranteed as the sky has to be very transparent too.

Note the Lumicon H-Beta filter has a bandpass of only 8nm which is very narrow and will make the background quite dark. Have a look at M42 too as it takes on a totally different appearance in H-beta. Enjoy!

[Kevnool]

Heres hoping you have a 12" or better mirror to see this.

Have used my H beta on a 10" and seen it.

Make sure orion is overhead (near zenith) when you try.

Cheers

[Allan]

Apart from a H-Beta and lots of aperture, the most important requirement is a very dark sky and full night vision. As mentioned the H-Beta is very narrow and darkens the background significantly. It works best with an eyepiece that gives you a large exit pupil. I have observed it through most of my eyepieces to see how the view changes, and it stands out clearest in my 21 Ethos.

I put the 2 stars HD37903 and HD37805 at the top of the FOV (in my reflector), so look for them on a star chart. The distance between these 2 stars is the same as the distance between HD37805 and the Horsehead. That's what I use as a guide to spot it. Alnitak has to be out of the FOV because the glare will wash out the Horsehead.

The other thing is to be prepared for just how faint it is, it's just a darker shape against the background sky. You may find when you spot it, that you had been looking at it for a while without realising. Good luck.

[JJDOBBER79]

thank you guys. i get it now. so, you can basically form a triangle with zeta, sigma and horsehead?

[Allan]

Possibly, but that covers a large area, and if you have Alnitak in the FOV it's brightness will prevent you seeing the horsehead.

The 2 stars I listed are close to the horsehead, which makes it easier to find. You can see them in the photo you posted. HD37903 is inside the nebula NGC2023. Go straight up to see HD37805, which the horse is looking at. Then make a right angle to the horse. If you have an atlas that identifies those 2 stars it makes the task easier.