SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Jon Greif
Location of Photo:
Anza Borrego State Park, Borrego Springs, CA, USA
Date/Time of photo:
January 21-23, 2023, between 11 pm and 3 am PST
Equipment:
Tech: Takahashi FSQ-85ED with 1.01x flattener/reducer. ZWO ASI533MC Pro imaging camera. Optolong L-Pro filter. Rainbow Astro RST-135 Mount. ZWO 30mm Mini Guide Scope with ZWO ASI290 Mini guide camera. ASIAIR Plus controller. Processed in Pixinsight 1.8.9.
Description:
Messier 78 or M78, also known as NGC 2068, is a reflection nebula in the constellation Orion. It was discovered by Pierre Méchain in 1780 and included by Charles Messier in his catalog of comet-like objects that same year. Reflection nebulae are clouds of gases that are lit up from behind by bright stars. M78 is about 1,350 light-years distant from Earth. This image is a stack of exposures collected over several nights while we were camping in Borrego Springs over a new moon weekend and represents 5.5 total hours of exposure time.
