The Boogeyman Nebula, also known as LDN 1622, is a dark, dusty region in the constellation Orion. Its nickname comes from its ominous, shadowy silhouette, which stands out starkly against the faint glow of background hydrogen gas, giving it an almost mythical presence in the night sky. To me, it looks like the Boogeyman is flying towards a light source.
Located about 1,500 light-years away, near the prominent Barnard’s Loop, the Boogeyman Nebula is part of the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. This region is teeming with activity, and while LDN 1622’s dense clouds of dust block visible light, infrared observations have uncovered young stars forming deep within its core.
Spanning roughly 10 light-years, the nebula offers an incredible visual contrast. The dark dust lanes cut sharply through the brighter star fields, creating a ghostly yet captivating view.
This image consists of 5 distinct channels, namely Hydrogen-alpha (Halpha) as well as broadband images in Luminance, Red, Green and Blue. The broadband channels represent mainly the dark dust and stars whereas the glowy emission gas in the background coming from Barnard’s loop was imaged using an Ha narrowband filter. After blending first the broadband image to LRGB, I subtracted the Ha emission from it to emphasize the dark dust. At the end, I re-introduced the Halpha into the processed and emissionless LRGB to create the final HaLRGB composition. You can get an idea of how faint this region is by checking out the Aladine sky plot below.
Overall, the Boogeyman Nebula (LDN 1622) is a fascinating region of space that offers insights into the processes of star formation and the complex structures of interstellar dust within our galaxy.
Technical Details
Frames:
- Blue: 49×300″(4h 5′)
- Green: 57×300″(4h 45′)
- H-alpha: 78×600″(13h)
- Luminance: 48×300″(4h)
- Red: 54×300″(4h 30′)
Total Integration: 30h 20′
Equipment:
- Sky-Watcher Esprit 100ED
- ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- ZWO AM5
You can find this image also posted on my astrobin profile. I am happy that this image was also shared on Instagram by UniverseViewScreen from the APOD reviewing team.
Sky Plot
If you are curious to know where the Boogeyman Nebula is located, you can use this interactive Sky Plot built by Aladine Lite.