Two years ago I set out to find this creepy guy in the sky, and presented my encounter here. Well I wanted to revisit this target and better frame the subject so that I could explore the entire nebula. With new techniques learnt in both capturing and processing astro images, I was able to extract intricate details in the 2025/6 edition of the Boogey Man Nebula (LDN 1622), that gives new meaning to its name. What I now see is this spooky shadowy creature emerging from an eerie swamp… I think it looks like the Swamp Thing 🥴.
LDN 1622 is a dark nebula in the Orion constellation (part of Barnard’s Loop), comprised of cold interstellar dust and gas, and is located about 500 light-years away from Earth. Its appearance resembles a dark, silhouette-like shape against a faint reddish glow from background hydrogen.
Orion nebulae region showing the location of LDN 1622
Despite its questionable appearance, this target is fun to capture and the image is a beauty. It is yet another reminder to look up and experience an amazing Universe!
Gear: AA Hypercam 26C, Askar FMA180, HEM27 mount, Optolong CLS; SvBony 120mm + ZWO 120mc
Exif: 53 x 5-min lights; Gain 200, Offset 3, TEC @ 10 degrees; 20 darks
Software: SharpCap, PHD2; AstroPixelProcessor, PixInsight; Photoshop
Wow! Quite a pallette of colors in this year’s edition. Your original image is creepy in its own right though! Thanks for the larger section of Sky Map, I was not sure where that was located! 👍💯🙏