The Horsehead Nebula
The Horsehead Nebula appears as a dark silhouette against a curtain of billowing red dust. It is a beautiful sight and a relatively easy target for experienced astrophotographers. It appears in the constellation of Orion, right on the apparent “Belt of Orion”, but it is too faint to see without a telescope. It was first identified by the Scottish astronomer Williamina Fleming in 1888.
The deep red colour is caused by the ionized hydrogen that dominates this area called the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. It is about 1,400 light-years away.
This image is a composite of my best 72 photos where each is a 3 minute exposure. I used a special filter to highlight the ionized hydrogen.
I captured this composite image from my balcony in Strasbourg France in early February 2025 and combined it with my best photos from February 2023.
