The Monkey Head Nebula, or NGC 2174 as it is also known, is an emission nebula in the constellation Orion. Unlike the Orion Nebula and the Horsehead Nebula, this nebula is not part of either of Orion’s two large molecular clouds. It is located at a distance of 6 400 light years from earth which is five times as far away as the Orion Nebula. At the center of the nebula is a massive young star (HD 42088) that ionizes the surrounding gas resulting in the colors of the nebula.
Data for this image: 18x300s S-II, 20x300s Ha, 16x300s O-III.
Total number of exposures 54 with a total integration time of 4.5 hours.
Processing: PixInsight with ForaxX palette with ForaxX stars.
Equipment: SkyWatcher EvoStar 80ED Pro (0,85x FR/FF) and ZWO ASI294MM Pro on SkyWatcher HEQ5 Pro with SkyWatcher EvoGuide 50ED and ZWO ASI120MM Mini. ZWO SII, Ha, and OIII filters.