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Originally Posted by mickoking
Mate, neat photo of Barnards loop  It is my ambition to view it visually, any one done that? |
Micko the below is from a Yahoo group I am on and discusses unaided viewing of the loop and some other faint nebulas (the guy is from the the northern hemisphere, so keep that in mind when he talks about directions)...
I decided to use the narrowband and line filters with my unaided eye to observe a number of objects like Barnard's Loop, the Lambda Orionis Complex, and the Rosette. I set myself in the darkened interior of my minivan with the side door open and the weak ambient light of the sky and terrain shielded by my gloves. I first used the UHC filter and looked up through it at Orion. I could see M42 somewhat better, but my real target had been Barnard's Loop, and true to form, it did appear, at least partially. It was quite faint and the main section that runs above and a little to the left of Orion's belt was the only part that was seen with little doubt. I could not see any firm signs of faint nebulosity around Lambda Orionis, although with the number of stars in that part of the sky, it was difficult to tell if there was anything there. However, the "fuzzy cotton ball" of the Rosette was quite easy to make out east of Orion. With the OIII filter, M42 was still enhanced, but no sign of either Barnard's Loop or the Lambda Orionis complex was seen. The Rosette was still visible, although it looked somewhat fainter than it had in the UHC. Last of all, I held up the H-Beta, and this filter made a real difference. Barnard's Loop promptly reappeared, and while still quite faint, it definitely showed up better than in the UHC, with indications of the full curve visible with averted vision and some study. Also, Lambda Orionis now had a large very faint irregular glow around it (Sh2-264 et al). I had first stumbled onto this nebula for the first time several years ago while playing around one night with a hand-held H-Beta, but with the mailing list's comments about the OIII, I had still wanted to confirm my earlier conclusion that the nebula was still best seen in the H-Beta. I had some difficulty seeing the Rosette with the H-Beta, so the UHC once again was the "filter of choice" for that object, at least for the otherwise "unaided"
eye.
He also discussed observations with the filters and a 4" f6 refractor that showed the nebula, but the key here is to keep the power low. Certainly something to try (if you have the filters) next time you are out at a darksky site.
oh - btw, nice shooting Scott (as always)