IC 2118 - The Witchhead Nebula

Can you see the old witch in this image? The witchhead nebula, IC 2118, is an interstellar dust cloud that lies just east of the bright star Rigel in the constellation Orion. (Rigel is the bright blue star at the right foot of the constellation of Orion.) This nebula gives off no light of its own, but rather is a reflection nebula meaning that the dark interstellar dust is reflecting the light of the nearby star, Rigel. Despite rather poor transparency, I was able to image this very difficult target.

Image Specifications:

     •  Instrument:  Canon EF 200mm f/2.8L @ f3.5
     •  Camera:  Canon 20Da
     •  Filters:  Hutech IDAS LPS (Light Pollution)
     •  Mount:  Losmandy GM-8 Equatorial
     •  Guiding:  SBIG STV Autoguider with Vixen 400mm Guidescope
     •  Time / Date :  December 16, 2006, 10:00PM EST
     •  Location:  Coyle Field, NJ
     •  Weather:  Clear, 28degF
     •  Primary Exposure :  25 x 3min, ISO 1600, RAW, sigma reject combined
     •  Calibration Frames:  5 x 3min, ISO 1600, RAW, average combined
     •  Image Processing :  Images Plus, Photoshop CS2