Flame and Horsehead nebulae - NB or not?

[The Admiral]

The HH is rich in Ha, so it would make sense to image that with NB, but would that not be ideal for the associated Flame nebula, nor for NGC 2023 close by.

Any thoughts please? I can image with a dual band filter or in white light,  both with a colour camera.

Ian

[Stuf1978]

Why not shoot both and combine. The HH area is indeed rich in ha but there are also reflection elements too. I always think a combination of both narrowband and broadband data suits this area well. A bit like M42 when people shoot it in narrowband, I think it loses some of its charm. I'm convinced m42 works best as a broadband target. 

[The Lazy Astronomer]

4 hours ago, The Admiral said:

The HH is rich in Ha, so it would make sense to image that with NB, but would that not be ideal for the associated Flame nebula, nor for NGC 2023 close by.

Any thoughts please? I can image with a dual band filter or in white light,  both with a colour camera.

Ian

Yep, agree with the above - take both and combine. HH definitely looks best in broadband colour, with Ha enhanced reds.

The flame actually looks pretty good in either, but there are few reflection nebulae around the area which you would lose almost completely in NB.

[The Admiral]

10 hours ago, Stuf1978 said:

I always think a combination of both narrowband and broadband data suits this area well

 

7 hours ago, The Lazy Astronomer said:

HH definitely looks best in broadband colour, with Ha enhanced reds.

Thanks both. Logistically, doing both may be a bit difficult, given our weather here in the South, so I think I'll start off in broadband and if possible add NB later. At least that way the HH will be fully represented.

Ian

[tooth_dr]

I’ve done a broadband HH without Ha and tbh it looks pretty damn good! You can always add Ha later.

Colour Only:

[Stuf1978]

44 minutes ago, The Admiral said:

 

Thanks both. Logistically, doing both may be a bit difficult, given our weather here in the South, so I think I'll start off in broadband and if possible add NB later. At least that way the HH will be fully represented.

Ian

Good luck. I can sympathise with the weather, this winter has been awful so far for imaging.

33 minutes ago, tooth_dr said:

I’ve done a broadband HH without Ha and tbh it looks pretty damn good! You can always add Ha later.

Colour Only:

That looks brilliant, with narrowband you lose all that dust and reflection nebulosity below the horse head.

[ollypenrice]

Certainly prioritze broadband. The Ha contributes mainly to the 'curtains' behind the head, allowing you to bring out the striations and the dappled structure of the nebulosity below the curtains. Depending on your optics and how well they control Alnitak, you might consider some very short subs to help you control that star. It can easily bloat in some refractors. Because the star is so bright, there is no need to shoot many subs. Just a few will do.

NGC2023 is beautiful and broadband only.

Olly

[The Admiral]

6 minutes ago, ollypenrice said:

Certainly prioritze broadband. The Ha contributes mainly to the 'curtains' behind the head, allowing you to bring out the striations and the dappled structure of the nebulosity below the curtains. Depending on your optics and how well they control Alnitak, you might consider some very short subs to help you control that star. It can easily bloat in some refractors. Because the star is so bright, there is no need to shoot many subs. Just a few will do.

NGC2023 is beautiful and broadband only.

Olly

Thanks Olly. I did image the HH and surroundings some years ago, with a Fuji mirrorless camera, and was pleased with that broadband result, except it needed a lot more exposure. I now have a totally different rig and an astro camera, so I'm hoping to better do it justice. I'd want to include NGC2023 too, so it looks like a broadband approach is a priority. I'm not sure how the new rig will withstand Alnitak 🙂, but thanks for the reminder, a few short subs could be taken. It would be good to get NB to blend when the opportunity arises later.

Ian