January brings some of the most stunning deep-sky targets of the year, especially if you love nebulae and winter constellations. Over long, cool nights you can chase everything from the eerie glow of the Pacman, to the iconic silhouette of the Horsehead, and even one of the most photographed objects in the night sky—the Orion Nebula.
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Highlights from This Month
The Pacman Nebula (NGC 281)
Nestled in the constellation Cassiopeia, the Pacman Nebula earns its moniker from the familiar arcade-game shape character formed by glowing hydrogen particles and dark dust lanes. Emission nebulae like this get their energy from young, hot stars embedded within them, lighting up the surrounding gas.
The Pacman Nebula is a great target for narrowband imaging and produces superb contrast in long exposures, even from light-polluted backyards.
Full resolution: https://app.astrobin.com/u/justin_the_dark?i=xev9x1
The Horsehead Nebula (IC 434 / Barnard 33)
One of astrophotography’s most iconic silhouettes, the Horsehead Nebula lives in Orion’s Belt just below the bright (Extreme hallo inducing) star, Alnitak . What you’re really seeing is a dense cloud of interstellar dust blocking the glowing red hydrogen emission behind it.
Full resolution: https://app.astrobin.com/u/justin_the_dark?i=d61v0d
The Orion Nebula (M42)
If there’s a crown jewel of winter deep-sky astrophotography, Orion Nebula is it. Located in Orion’s “sword”—the line of stars hanging below Orion’s Belt—M42 is one of the brightest and most spectacular nebulae visible from northern latitudes. It’s so luminous that you can even spot it with your naked eye on a dark night. The nebula houses the famous Trapezium Cluster, a tight group of young stars whose ultraviolet light excites the surrounding gas and sculpts the shapes you see astrophotography photos.
Full Resolution: https://app.astrobin.com/u/justin_the_dark?i=u4tgz9
A Note from the Backyard
January’s (sometimes) cold nights demand patience, but they also bring some of the richest astronomical targets of the year into view. Whether you’re stacking narrowband frames of Pacman, teasing out the dust lanes in the Horsehead, or capturing all the glowing gas in Orion’s nursery, there’s a story in every frame.
Thanks for being part of this journey through the dark.
Clear skies,
Justin Pickens
Justin the Dark
www.justinthedark.com
