Wallpaper author:
Beatrice Heinze
12 Mar 2026
LDN 1617 (Barnard's Loop)
LDN 1617 is a stunning molecular cloud complex in the constellation Orion.
In the lower left corner, you can see M78 (Messier 78, also known as NGC 2068), which is sometimes nicknamed the Casper the Friendly Ghost Nebula. And at the top, more to the right, you can see the Boogeyman Nebula (LDN 1622).
Dataset from which the image was processed
LDN 1617
3 credit
- Type of target............................................................................................................................Dark Nebula
- Camera............................................................................................................................FLI PL16803
- Target coordinates............................................................................................................................RA 88.26667 Dec 1.59222
- Hemisphere............................................................................................................................Southern
- Telescope location............................................................................................................................Australia
- Transient event............................................................................................................................No
- Observed on............................................................................................................................06 Feb 2022 - 17 Dec 2022
Filter | Avg Exp (s) | Total Exposure | Subframes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Luminance | 600 | 1h | 6 |
| Red | 600 | 1h | 6 |
| Green | 600 | 1h | 6 |
| Blue | 600 | 1h | 6 |