NGC 1788 is an unusual reflection nebula (bluish white at the top left of the image) surrounded by a glowing red ring of hydrogen gas. The stars inside the nebula are only about a million years old, which is very young compared to most stars. The ring of glowing hydrogen gas is energized by nearby hot, massive stars. LDN 1616 is a very opaque dark nebula that is apparently a part of NGC 1788, involved in the southwest part of it. These nebulas are not photographed often, I guess because they are located in a lesser known part of the constellation of Orion.
NGC 1788 and LDN 1616
Telescope: 16″ f3.75 Dream Scope
Camera: FLI ML16803
Mount: ASA DDM85
Exposure: 8 hours (48x300s L + 3x15x300s RGB)
Data: October 2019 – Processing: October 2020
Location: Southern Alps, France
Bart Delsaert - Astrophotography 