NGC 2022 is the
brightest planetary nebula in Orion. It is a tiny 12th magnitude
disk that lies near Orion's western shoulder (made up of the
stars Lambda, Phi1 and Phi2 Ori). Star
hopping to this one is easy. Start by extending a line out from
Phi1 through Phi2 to about 1.25 times their
separation. Just to the NE of this line will be another
pair of fainter stars aligned parallel to them. Extend a
line through these two stars in the same direction as before, about
the same distance as their separation. The brightest
"star" at this location will be NGC 2022. High
magnification should show the tell-tale disk.
Orion's shoulder and NGC 2022. The
orientation matches the naked eye.
In my
six-inch this object looks starlike at first glance at 50x. At
higher magnification it shows an elongated disk not unlike NGC 1535.
The central star is too faint to be visible.
My 18-inch
shows it quite well. I noted in my log that it appeared
"slightly out of round; Ill defined. Hint of a dark
center." The 15th magnitude central star is plainly visible.
Perhaps because it is so easy to find, this planetary is one of my
long-time favorites.
The view in a
six-inch 150x. North is down and east is right.
This is an HST image of NGC 2022
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