Flame Nebula
NGC 2024 · Emission nebula in Orion
- Magnitude
- 7.2
- Size
- 30′
- Effective surface brightness
- 21.8 mag/arcsec²
- Best months
- Nov, Dec, Jan
- Declination
- -2°
- Filter
- Dual-band recommended
A bright emission nebula beside Alnitak, split by a dark lane like a tree. Alnitak's glare is the main problem; keep it out of the frame if you can.
Reachable from mid-northern latitudes (UK, northern US, central Europe) and from the south.
How long with each smart telescope
| Telescope | Bortle 3 (rural) | Bortle 5 (suburban) | Bortle 7 (urban edge) |
|---|---|---|---|
| ZWO Seestar S5010 s subs, dual-band | 36 min219 subs | 40 min240 subs | 55 min329 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S50 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 26 min157 subs | 30 min179 subs | 46 min276 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S3010 s subs, dual-band | 23 min139 subs | 26 min159 subs | 41 min249 subs |
| ZWO Seestar S30 Pro10 s subs, dual-band | 28 min170 subs | 32 min193 subs | 49 min295 subs |
| DwarfLab Dwarf 315 s subs, dual-band | 38 min152 subs | 43 min173 subs | 1 h 06 min266 subs |
| DwarfLab Dwarf Mini15 s subs, dual-band | 20 min79 subs | 23 min92 subs | 38 min152 subs |
| DwarfLab Dwarf II15 s subs | 1 h 23 min332 subs | 1 h 54 min456 subs | 4 h 09 min998 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera II10 s subs | 19 min116 subs | 30 min183 subs | 1 h 19 min476 subs |
| Vaonis Vespera Pro10 s subs | 55 min331 subs | 1 h 19 min472 subs | 3 h 01 min1,087 subs |
| Unistellar eQuinox 24 s subs | 25 min375 subs | 32 min479 subs | 1 h 02 min936 subs |
| Unistellar Odyssey4 s subs | 2 h 12 min1,976 subs | 2 h 37 min2,356 subs | 4 h 28 min4,016 subs |
| Celestron Origin10 s subs | 5 min30 subs | 8 min47 subs | 22 min130 subs |
Imaging the emission nebula
Emission nebulae glow in a few narrow lines, mostly hydrogen-alpha (deep red) and doubly ionised oxygen (teal). A dual-band filter passes those lines and blocks most skyglow, which is why it cuts the time needed from a suburban sky so dramatically. Use it. From a genuinely dark site the gain is smaller because there is less skyglow to block, and read noise becomes the limit, which is where longer subs (EQ mode) earn their keep.
Stars lose colour through a dual-band filter; a short broadband stack blended in fixes that if you care.
Per-telescope pages
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S50 Pro
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the ZWO Seestar S30 Pro
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the DwarfLab Dwarf 3
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the DwarfLab Dwarf Mini
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the DwarfLab Dwarf II
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera II
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the Vaonis Vespera Pro
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the Unistellar eQuinox 2
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the Unistellar Odyssey
- How long to image the Flame Nebula with the Celestron Origin