How to photograph the Monkey Head Nebula (NGC 2174)
A winter emission nebula in northern Orion shaped like a monkey’s head.
Photo byTal Achituv(CC BY-SA 4.0)
When to shoot it from your location
About the Monkey Head Nebula
The Monkey Head is bright in hydrogen and oxygen, which makes it a good narrowband target from light-polluted skies. It sits close to the Jellyfish Nebula and M35.
Gear and framing
The Monkey Head Nebula spans about 40′ of sky. It frames best with:
- Small refractor (250-600mm)
- Long focal length (800mm and up)
You can see how other people have built their rigs on RigDesigner, including my Sony a6700 and 60mm refractor rig.
Filters
This target glows in hydrogen-alpha and oxygen-III light. A dual-band filter, or separate narrowband filters with a mono camera, lets that light through and blocks most light pollution and moonlight. It is a good choice for city skies and for nights with the Moon up.
Tips
- A dual-band filter brings out the dark dust shapes that make up the face.
Processing
Stack your light frames with darks and flats, then remove the background gradient before stretching. AstroBake does all of this for you. Point it at your folders of raw frames, then adjust the result with live sliders.