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What filter did you use to view the horsehead?.This is a object that is on my viewing list and I hope to eventually see this.I've been in the mist of a being a glutton on galaxies,but will be turning my attention back(somewhat,I'm not done with galaxy viewing,the glutton in me beckons!)to nebula viewing. My last session was one of the best I've had in spite of the moon,so I was thinking about the horsehead for some reason lol

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Well, it is getting a bit low and hard to see now (at least from the Northern Hemisphere), but in general, the H-Beta filter is the one to use. I have seen the faint band of IC 434 and just managed to glimpse the tiny notch of the Horsehead itself under dark skies using only my 100mm f/6 refractor (15x) when the H-Beta filter was in, although the view was somewhat marginal. There have been those at moderate to high altitude sites who have seen the Horsehead in scopes in the four to six inch range *without* using a filter, but this tends to be somewhat less frequent, as it requires excellent conditions and a little effort to get out a lot to try. The object is visible in larger apertures without filtration, but this again requires quite good conditions. It can be seen in my 9.25 inch SCT, but still is more of a vague slightly darker gap in the very faint nebulosity than a detailed figure (at least without a filter). Put in the H-Beta and, while it is still quite dim, the object stands out a lot more with hints of the "snout" using averted vision. The DGM Optics NPB filter has been known to help the Horsehead as well, although perhaps not quite as much as the H-Beta filter does. Clear skies to you.

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David W. Knisely
Hyde Memorial Observatory
http://www.hydeobservatory.info

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