APOD: 2022 December 29 - Horsehead and Flame

Good morning, Rallypoint, and welcome to the December 29th edition of Astronomy Picture of the Day (APOD): "Horsehead and Flame." Here is an end-of-year treat for all fans of the constellation Orion...for when you zoom in on the eastern-most belt star, Alnitak, this is the view that opens up for you. Alnitak is the bright star just to the left of center. Below Alnitak is the Flame Nebula (NGC 2024). To the right of the Flame Nebula is bluish NGC 2023. Both show evidence of active star formation. To the right of NGC 2023 is the familiar Horsehead Nebula (Barnard 33). All objects lie about 1,500 light years from Earth.

This composite image is the result of 62 different frames and 10+ hours of exposure time. The photographer also provided the following 'gear' notes:

Telescope: Stellarvue SVX130T
Camera: QHYCCD QHY294 M
Mount: Sky-Watcher EQ8-R Pro
Filters: Antlia V-Pro Blue 2", Green 2", Luminance 2", and Red 2"