Date: 1/1/2010, 1/10/2010
Telescope: Vixen ED80Sf * f/6.0
Camera: Canon 40D (modified)
Filters: Astronomik EOS Clip (6nm Ha), IDAS
Exposures:
Ha: 33x600sec @ ISO800 (5.5 hours)
RGB: 38x300sec @ ISO800 (3.2 hours)
Framing: North is left
Location: Mocksville, NC
Temp: 32F, 15F
Seeing: 3/5
Transparency: 4/5
FWHM: 9.0"
Captured in Nebulosity, stacked using DeepSkyStacker, processed in Photoshop.

Winner - Digital_Astro Monthly Challenge January 2010

Featured on Vixen Optics ED80Sf Product Page (original)

From Wikipedia.org:


The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33 in bright nebula IC 434) is a dark nebula in the constellation Orion. The nebula is located just below Alnitak, the star farthest left on Orion's Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. It is approximately 1500 light yearsfrom Earth. It is one of the most identifiable nebulae because of theshape of its swirling cloud of dark dust and gases, which is similar tothat of a horse's head. The shape was first noticed in 1888 by Williamina Fleming on photographic plate B2312 taken at the Harvard College Observatory.
The red glow originates from hydrogen gas predominantly behind the nebula, ionized by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis.The darkness of the Horsehead is caused mostly by thick dust, althoughthe lower part of the Horsehead's neck casts a shadow to the left.Streams of gas leaving the nebula are funneled by a strong magnetic field. Bright spots in the Horsehead Nebula's base are young stars just in the process of forming.