I don't do this often enough, so with a clear patch of sky I decided to look at it (after realizing where it was while using starry night). I'm pretty sure I found the star, but I couldn't see anything next to it.
I was using a 12.5mm plossl that came with my scope. I tried the 6mm but it was really hard to see anything.
The Horsehead nebula is one of the targets in the December & January Obs. Challenge. You might want to have a read of the Challenge description, and have a look into the link it has to the IIS thread on the topic of the "Horsey":
In a nut shell, if you want to see the Horsehead, YOU NEED a really, really dark sky, and know where to look. It is one, if not THE hardest object to view through amateur scopes. Certain filters may help, and the link contains details on these.
I haven't seen it to date. One of my many tasks this Summer season.
It has reputedly been seen in a 6" scope. Most people I've read quote a 10" is the smallest apeture. Have a go and let us know.
Another helpful tip, if you can't see the Flame Nebula, which is the flame like looking nebula right next to the emission nebula the Horsehead juts into, you have no chance at seeing the Horsey. A very helpful indicator.
Last edited by mental4astro; 08-12-2010 at 12:17 AM.
Horsehead is visible with an 8" but you have to have really complete darkness and eyes that have been dark for an hour - I managed it fleetingly with my 8"SCT but when I looked a few minutes later, it was gone.
I was out at our dark sky site which is 100k from civilisation
I had a look with my 14" Dob tonight but was only able to see the faint outline of the surrounding neb in suburbia and intend to have a good crack at it on the weekend at my regular dark viewing spot.
ahh thanks guys. I had no idea how difficult it was to see. Given I have street lights and am not that far from the lights of Brisbane, I really have no hope of seeing it!
Beachmere is pretty open territory - but street lights will kill it stone dead and LP from Bris means that the humidity has to be zero to get decent seeing.
Looking South from there must be a nightmare!
I at least get to look South - I have Bris to my north but 50k away
Having trouble with your finder? I'd suggest a red dot finder to add to the scope, along with the current optical finder. Very, very effective, no laser issues with the coppers, and cheap- Andrews Communications sells the one I use (I've got two actually) for $29.
Back to the horsehead.
The attached AAO pic shows all the various components that form the "horsehead complex".
The Flame nebula is the round bright firery splash of colour to the left of the Horsehead. This nebula is much brighter than the emission nebula the horsehead is superimposed onto. Don't confuse the Flame nebula with the Horsehead. Also, though the Flame Neb. is brighter, it is still very faint itself.
This one I have seen in my 17.5" scope. Yet I still couldn't manage the Horsehead itself that night. The Flame is such a beautiful nebula itself, just saddly overshadowed by the chance resemblence of some dust and gas to an earthly creature.
The emission nebula the Horsehead sits on, like I said is very faint. The dark pillar that the horsehead is, is really only a dark, finger-like shadow jutting into this very dim "mist". It will NOT appear anywhere as clear and distinct as in the picture below!
Jennifer said she saw it only "fleetingly" (marvelous stuff Jen, to see it at all!! Lucky bugger, ). This also leads to the need to keep in mind that atmospheric conditions need to be particularly good. One moment Jen could see it, the next not at all.
Oh, one last tip, it is essential that you keep the bright star Theta Orionius OUT of the field of view, or its glare will completely wash it out.
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If you would like to have a go at the "dark pillars" that the Horsey is, have a go at the half dozen that line up in the bright nebula Eta Carina.
Dark pillars are of the same family as "Bok globuals". These are thought to be the gas and dust cocoons of protostars. These protostars, once their nuclear fire kicks in, will jetison this cocoon to reveal a new diamond in the sky.
Horsehead is visible with an 8" but you have to have really complete darkness and eyes that have been dark for an hour - I managed it fleetingly with my 8"SCT but when I looked a few minutes later, it was gone.
I was out at our dark sky site which is 100k from civilisation
Hi Jen,
Are you sure you weren't looking at the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024)? This is a very very common mistake people make.
If you have a look at the two images I have attached, in colour and in grayscale, you will see that when you are observing visually where you only see black and white, how easy it is to confuse the "notch" in the Flame Nebula for the Horsehead Nebula. The Flame is to the left of Zeta Orionis (Alnitak) and the Horsehead is a bit further from Alnitak and below it.
It takes an exceptionally experienced observer, an exceptionally good telescope and outstanding observing conditions, to see it in any telescope under 12" aperture. On top of that a UHC filter helps somewhat and a H-Beta filter helps a lot. I have spent dozens of hours searching for it in 8" and 10" telescopes (good ones) with and without filters, without success. I remember I spent over an hour searching for it in my 10" scope at Wiruna ( at 2002 SPSP?) with Glen Dawes (co author of the Astronomy yearbook) under superb conditions without success. On the other hand, the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024) is very achievale in an 8" scope from dark skies.
The Horsehead is doable in my 14" under superb conditions and reasonably easy in my 18", with a filter. Under excellent conditions it is doable without a filter using averted vision. In the 25" scope it is visible with direct vision unfiltered.
Yeah Beachmere is great for feeling like you're not in a city but being close enough to Caboolture to have everything one needs shopping wise! But yes, I my yard is on the east side of my house and I live on a corner, so I have a streetlight on the east and south side. I got the massive gum chopped down (it was throwing branches at me), but I still suffer light pollution. I can look at Jupiter and Saturn though
Alex, I don't even know what happened to my finder scope, it got lost in one of 3 moves I never cared that much because I found it useless anyway. I wasn't sure exactly how a red dot finder worked, but I'll take your word for it and try and find my finder scope (I took it off for transport, then tried to reattach it but failed, then lost it, which is unusual for me, I don't lose stuff).
I was also unable to see the flame nebula either, which does look quite kewl in the photo, but I also had that star in my scope the whole time so duh to me, thanks for that advice I will try again without it in my view! Granted weather here might mean waiting a long time, I'm just hoping for clear skies on monday night!
Mate, a red dot finder & a Telrad work on the same principle of a red dot or target image projected onto a specially coated glass that makes the image some-what holographic - you move, but the dot or target seems to stay in the same place.
They are great as they can be easier to use with both eyes open.
The two pics below show my two red dot finders. One is "surgically enhanced" with a longer stalk on my 8" dobbie. Its original stalk was too short to make it comfortable to use. The other is mounted on a 3" reflector that inturn is a giant finder on my 17.5" dob (the picture shows the white tube of the giant before I rebuilt it. I still use this RDF & reflector finder on the rebuilt behemouth). Depending on the object I'm after, most times I don't need to use the 3" big finder, just the red dot.
These red dot finders a really easy to install, they even come with their own mounting block.
My 8" only has the RDF. I love to use this scope from my home in Sydney. I really don't have a problem with not having a 'traditional' finder on it.
BTW, my 17.5" has three finders on it, , the RDF & 3" on its back, and a 2" up on the secondary cage next to the focuser. I really need to take a picture of the thing fully decked out...
Ok, so if I have a red dot finder, I dont need my old finder scope? I was looking at one on Andrews site (under Guan Sheng, because, you know, my scope is a GSO), and it says it doesn't come with the block, which atm means nothing to me... my simple hope is that I would by one and put it where the finder scope normally goes, as per your first two photos there, is that correct?
If you find it awkard to get you head to it, as the stalk is made from plastic, it is a simple task to cut and add an extension to it.
The 'block' is a dove tail block that stays on the scope. The RDF stalk has a dovetail that slides into it.
The magnified optical finder is good too. As it collects more light than our own eyes, they are useful in finding faint targets where there may not be enough naked eye stars to make using the RDF alone an easy task. That is why I use both on my big dob.
). This also leads to the need to keep in mind that atmospheric conditions need to be particularly good. One moment Jen could see it, the next not at all.
I never cared that much because I found it useless anyway. I wasn't sure exactly how a red dot finder worked, but I'll take your word for it and try and find my finder scope (I took it off for transport, then tried to reattach it but failed, then lost it, which is unusual for me, I don't lose stuff).
, the RDF & 3" on its back, and a 2" up on the secondary cage next to the focuser. I really need to take a picture of the thing fully decked out...
