Meet what I refer to as the Jewel of Orion. This is hands down one of my favorite targets; a beautifully kept secret in the constellation of Orion. This target, which is catalogued as M78 or NGC 2068, is a bright diffuse reflection nebula. It is said to be about 1,350 light years away from Earth. Two B-type stars are responsible for the illuminating the cloud of dust in M78. This wide field capture also shows portions of the hydrogen-rich areas of the Orion Molecular Cloud.
Gear: AA Hypercam 26C, SW Evostar 72ED, HEM27 mount, Optolong CLS; SVbony 120mm guidescope + ZWO 120mc
Exif: 38 x 5-min subs; Gain 200, Offset 3, TEC @ 10 degrees; 20 darks, 20 flats, 20 dark flats
SharpCap, PHD2; AstroPixelProcessor, PixInsight; Photoshop
