SUNSET: 
0
Photographer:
Hal Heaton
Location of Photo:
Chilescope-Telescope 2
Date/Time of photo:
January 27 and 29, 2023 (moonless)
Equipment:
Telescope: ASA 0.5-m field-corrected Newtonian (f/3.8); Camera: Unbinned FLI ProLine 16803; Filter: H-alpha (5-nm); Exposure Time: 10-min guided (80-min total)
Description:
Inspired by a recently-published greyscale image taken by Richard Wright using stacked 1-min H-alpha subs, this new colored image of nearly the same field shows the intricate Christmas Tree Cluster in Monoceros, assembled by averaging eight 10-min guided exposures in that same band. The nebulosity is laced with graceful filamentary arcs and large-scale turbulent structures, and the iconic star-forming Cone Nebula (NGC 2264) appears at the bottom middle. The bright star S Mon shines near the center of the image under the persistent gaze of the Fox Fur Nebula (Sharpless 2-273), which is situated just to its right. The scene is oriented with N up and E to the left.
