Barnard 33, the Horsehead nebula, is a dark nebula located in IC 434, an emission nebula in Orion located about 1,500 light years from Earth. Dark nebula is an area of dense, thick dust, and from Earth, has the appearance of a horse's head. The red nebula is IC 434, an emission nebula. The reddish glow originates from hydrogen gas behind the nebula, which is ionized by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis.
RGB data: 50 minute Red, Green and Blue (binned 2x2)
Ha: 5 hours (binned 1x1) using the 8 inch RCT.
Processed in Photoshop CS5
Imaging telescope: Astro-Tech 8" Ritchey-Chrétien (FL 1625mm).
Imaging camera: QSI 683 wsg-8
Losmandy G-11 with Gemini II
Astrodon Tru-balance E-Series Generation II LRGB filters
Astrodon 5nm Ha filter

**This image was used for an article by Gemma Lavender in SpaceAnswers.com "Which Software Can I Use For Astrophotography?".