The Horsehead Nebula

Barnard 33 (B33) – dark nebula
For me, there’s only a couple of truly iconic images that are burned into my memory from the early Hubble days and this one is at the top of that list. I feel honoured to be one of a small group of people that can have the opportunity to even image this beauty. I was pleased how the nebula magically appeared when I started to stretch it. However, I have a love/hate relationship with this specific picture because I had developed some issues with pinched optics and I couldn’t process my stars the way I would like. By the time I resolved the issue, Orion was too low in the sky for a second attempt. You can bet it will be first on my target list next winter.
Captured from my backyard in Delaware, Ont. Jan 14, 2023
William Optics Zenithstar 61ii
Flat 61A flattener
ASI533MC-p (@-10 degrees, gain 101)
Optolong L-eNhance filter
Sky Waycher HEQ5-pro
ASIair plus, EAF
Exposures:
Lights 66 x 300 seconds, Darks, Flats, Biases
Stacked and processed in PixInsight and Photoshop