The Winter (DSO) Challenge LIST

T17 - M42, 43 NGC 1980, 1999 (Mosaic)

Orion 

Orion's Sword (Mosaic)

SHOWPIECE: A massive vertical mosaic spanning from the shimmering blue cluster of NGC 1981, through the icy blue Running Man and the majestic heart of M42, down to the mysterious "Cosmic Keyhole" of NGC 1999.

T18 - NGC 1788

Orion

The Fox Face or Flying Bat

ECHO: A "Triple-Treat" landscape containing reflection, emission, and dark nebula types in one field, featuring the wispy edges of a "fox face" and subtle "bat wings."

T19 - IC 2177

Monoceros

The Seagull (Mosaic)

SPECTRE: A massive star-forming complex featuring a "head" and sweeping "wings" that resemble a cosmic dragon or parrot, showcasing a superb mix of red emission and blue/green reflection elements.

T20 - SH 2-261 

Search in Atlas for star "69 Orionis"

Orion

Lower’s Nebula

ECHO: Known as the “Big Brain Nebula,” this faint H-II region appears as a diffuse, neural-like "ghost" of Orion. It is a historical landmark for amateur discovery, showing a faint OIII signal in its core.

T21 - NGC 2174 

Orion

Monkey’s Head Nebula

SHOWPIECE: A simian-shaped wonder featuring intricate, brain-like folding of gas clouds and hidden "clumpy" nebulae that reveal a multi-layered masterpiece when the color balance is managed.

T22 - NGC 2409, SH 2-302 

Search in Atlas for "NGC 2414" - just below that is the Snowman

Puppis

Snowman Nebula

ECHO: A deeply red emission nebula that looks like a cosmic snowman, where radiation from young, massive stars is carving a bubble in the surrounding hydrogen gas.

T23 - NGC 2238

Monoceros

Rosette Nebula

SHOWPIECE: A giant molecular cloud shaped like a rose, with a central cluster of young stars (NGC 2244) that have cleared a “hole” in the center via stellar winds.

T24 - B33, IC 434, NGC 2024 

Orion

The Flame and Horsehead

SHOWPIECE: The iconic dark silhouette of the Horsehead against a glowing red hydrogen curtain, paired with the energized Flame Nebula and subtle, dusty blue reflection nebulosity.

T1 - NGC 2359 

Canis Major

Thor's Helemet

An expanding stellar shell around a unique star

T2 - NGC 1499

Taurus

California Nebula

A large red highly dimensional nebula

T3 - M45

Taurus

The Pleiades

The naked eye star cluster filled with blue star dust

T4 - NGC 1491

Perseus

Fossil Footprint

A nebula uniquely shaped like prehistoric claw

T5 - NGC 1893 

Auriga

The flaming Star & Tadpoles Mosaic

A fantastic winter mosaic pairing

T6 - M31 

Andromeda

The Great Spiral

The biggest galaxy in the northern sky

T7 - M78 

Orion

Casper the Ghost Nebula & Barnard's Loop

A striking reflection, dark & emission nebulae combo

T8 - NGC 2264

Monoceros

The Cone & Christmas tree cluster

An immense area of turbulent nebulosity