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I have often seen the NGC 1977 nebula in low power views of Orion's belt but have never really viewed it with much magnification. It seams that I have run across the running man several times in the last week. So with Orion visible after midnight, I was wondering just how visible this dark nebula is and what it might take to see it.

Thanks, Buddy

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To me in my 9.25 inch SCT at 59x, on the best of nights, NGC 1977 appears as two dim diffuse patches of nebulosity separated by a dark lane shaped like a sideways letter "Y". The southern patch is larger, elongated, and brighter, and I can get a view of the dark dome-like inclusion into the southern edge. The northern one is smaller, fainter, and is a little compromised by a couple of 8th magnitude stars in it. The inner dark detail is tough to see much of, so much of the "running man" appearance is seen either in photographs or in large apertures under very good conditions. On just an average night, I often just see the elongated southern patch and just a hint of the northern one. I find either a broadband filter (Lumicon Deep-sky) or a narrowband (DGM Optics NPB) helps a little, although I can usually see the nebula without filtration. Clear skies to you.

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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info
Prairie Astronomy Club
http://www.prairieastronomyclub.org

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