Above: How most people view the Monkey Head Nebula and Below: How I originally presented the image - just for a change!
NGC 2174 (also known as Monkey Head Nebula) is an Ha emission nebula located in the constellation Orion and is associated with the open star cluster NGC 2175. It is thought to be located about 6,400 light-years away from Earth. The nebula may have formed through hierarchical collapse.
There is some equivocation in the use of the identifiers NGC 2174 and NGC 2175. These may apply to the entire nebula, to its brightest knot, or to the star cluster it includes. Burnham's Celestial Handbook lists the entire nebula as 2174/2175 and does not mention the star cluster. The NGC Project (working from the original descriptive notes) assigns NGC 2174 to the prominent knot at J2000 06h 09m 23.7s, +20° 39′ 34″ and NGC 2175 to the entire nebula, and by extension to the star cluster.
Glowing gas and dark dust do not survive well in the Monkey Head Nebula. Young stars near the centre of the nebula generate stellar winds and high energy radiation that causes the nebula's material to shift into complex shapes. The nebula is primarily composed of hydrogen which glows at infrared wavelengths due to the radiation.
Imaging telescope: Takahashi FSQ130ED
Imaging camera: ASI 2600mm
Mount: JTW Trident P75
Guiding telescope: Takahashi FS60CB
Guiding cameras: QHY CCD QHY 5 II
Focal Extender / Reducer: None
Software: Sequence Generator Pro SGP (for capture) PHD 2 (guiding), Astro Pixel Processor, PixInsight.
Filters: Astrodon SII, Astrodon Ha, Astrodon OIII
Accessories: Robofocus Focuser controlled by Lunatico Armadillo, ATIK EFW3, RB Focus Gaius, RB Focus Excalibur.
Dates: 13th. Dec - 14th. Dec 2023
Frames:
Astrodon SII 27 x 10'
Astrodon Ha 27 x 10'
Astrodon OIII 27 x 10'
Total integration = 13½ hours.
Center (RA, Dec): (92.404, 20.661)
Center (RA, hms): 06h 09m 36.944s
Center (Dec, dms): +20° 39' 38.299"
Size: 89.7 x 59.8 arcmin
Radius: 0.898 deg
Pixel scale: 1.2 arcsec/pixel
Orientation: Up is 359.1 degrees E of N
There is some equivocation in the use of the identifiers NGC 2174 and NGC 2175. These may apply to the entire nebula, to its brightest knot, or to the star cluster it includes. Burnham's Celestial Handbook lists the entire nebula as 2174/2175 and does not mention the star cluster. The NGC Project (working from the original descriptive notes) assigns NGC 2174 to the prominent knot at J2000 06h 09m 23.7s, +20° 39′ 34″ and NGC 2175 to the entire nebula, and by extension to the star cluster.
Glowing gas and dark dust do not survive well in the Monkey Head Nebula. Young stars near the centre of the nebula generate stellar winds and high energy radiation that causes the nebula's material to shift into complex shapes. The nebula is primarily composed of hydrogen which glows at infrared wavelengths due to the radiation.
Imaging telescope: Takahashi FSQ130ED
Imaging camera: ASI 2600mm
Mount: JTW Trident P75
Guiding telescope: Takahashi FS60CB
Guiding cameras: QHY CCD QHY 5 II
Focal Extender / Reducer: None
Software: Sequence Generator Pro SGP (for capture) PHD 2 (guiding), Astro Pixel Processor, PixInsight.
Filters: Astrodon SII, Astrodon Ha, Astrodon OIII
Accessories: Robofocus Focuser controlled by Lunatico Armadillo, ATIK EFW3, RB Focus Gaius, RB Focus Excalibur.
Dates: 13th. Dec - 14th. Dec 2023
Frames:
Astrodon SII 27 x 10'
Astrodon Ha 27 x 10'
Astrodon OIII 27 x 10'
Total integration = 13½ hours.
Center (RA, Dec): (92.404, 20.661)
Center (RA, hms): 06h 09m 36.944s
Center (Dec, dms): +20° 39' 38.299"
Size: 89.7 x 59.8 arcmin
Radius: 0.898 deg
Pixel scale: 1.2 arcsec/pixel
Orientation: Up is 359.1 degrees E of N
Sky Map & Finding Chart
SII, Ha & OIII in the image:
Annotated image:
