The Ghost of Alnitak

NGC 2024, The Ghost of Alnitak
By Rony De Laet

Hello,

We’ve had a full week of clear nights! So every night, after work and family, I tried to capture some DSO targets. This one is a little bit of a special object because I drove to a darker site some 130km from home to sketch it. I’ve glimpsed NGC 2024 at home before, but it always remained a uncertain view. The most annoying thing is the bright presence of Alnitak. I tried to keep Alnitak out of the way, but it didn’t work. Otherwise, NGC2024 would not be such a tough target. More to the south is also the weak glow of NGC2023. So here is my sketch, from the highest point of Belgium : a whopping 690m asl. There was still sufficient oxygen in the air to breath

Date : February 12, 2008
Time : around 22.00UT
Scope : Skywatcher 102/500
Eyepiece : 15mm Plösll
Power : x33
FOV: 90′
Filter : UHC
Seeing : 3/5
Transp. : 4/5
Nelm : 5,8
Sketch Orientation : N up, W right.
Digital sketch made with PhotoPaint, based on a raw pencil sketch.