The Seahorse Nebula

Barnard 150, nicknamed the Seahorse Nebula, is a dark nebula located in the constellation Cepheus. It is distinguished by its sinuous shape, reminiscent of a seahorse silhouette, which earned it its evocative name.

It consists of interstellar dust dense enough to block the light from stars located in the background. It thus appears as a dark silhouette cut out against a star-rich background, without emitting its own light. This phenomenon makes Barnard 150 a typical example of a dark nebula, visible only in absorption.

It cannot be observed with the naked eye, but it reveals itself very well in astrophotography, particularly on wide-field shots. Thanks to long exposures, its complex structure and its contrast with the starry background become clearly visible, making it a prized subject for celestial image enthusiasts.

This is a target I will tackle again in the future with more exposure time. Here, the exposure time is relatively low (2h15) because it is "only" a test to see if the telescope and camera were correctly aligned (for those in the know, tilt and back focus).