“One of most sought-after, and most notorious, objects in the sky is the Horsehead Nebula,
otherwise known as Barnard 33 in Orion. Viewing this small dark patch superimposed over the faint
streak of the nebula IC 434 is considered a rite of passage among deep sky observers.”

But then this guy tells how he saw it in his 8-inch, alghough it was barely noticeable as a dark blob. wilde_space

Reflector:

Cheaper per aperture
Has less contrast than refractor due to central obstruction
More portable for large aperture such as 6inch and above but less portable than refractor for 3inch and below.
Optical aberration called coma, but no chromatic aberration
Better for deep sky

Refractor:

More expensive than reflector
Has chromatic aberration except the very expensive APOs
More contrast
Better for planet

It really depends on what do you want to see and how much you’re willing to spend. Note that all telescopes have pros and cons. Most have some sort of optical imperfections, while others are almost optically perfect but very expensive.

Cheers! Vincent L

The Horsehead Nebula is relatively easy to photograph (I’ve done it myself), but is an absolute stinker of a visual target. You need very dark skies (not likely in the U.K., or anywhere else in western Europe) and a huge scope. Don’t even think about it with less than an 18″ scope. I’ve never seen it myself visually.

As always: do your homework with a reference like Nightwatch. Visit local astronomers and look through their scopes. Then you can make an informed decision. Viola At Neon

The Horsehead Nebula (also known as Barnard 33 in bright nebula IC 434) is a dark nebula in the constellation Orion. The nebula is located just below Alnitak, the star farthest left on Orion’s Belt, and is part of the much larger Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. It is approximately 1500 light years from Earth. It is one of the most identifiable nebulae because of the shape of its swirling cloud of dark dust and gases, which is similar to that of a horse’s head. The shape was first noticed in 1888 by Williamina Fleming on photographic plate B2312 taken at the Harvard College Observatory.

The red glow originates from hydrogen gas predominantly behind the nebula, ionized by the nearby bright star Sigma Orionis. The darkness of the Horsehead is caused mostly by thick dust, although the lower part of the Horsehead’s neck casts a shadow to the left. Streams of gas leaving the nebula are funneled by a strong magnetic field. Bright spots in the Horsehead Nebula’s base are young stars just in the process of forming. Jessa

As you’ll see from Barbara’s article, the secret of observing the Horsehead is not the telescope, but the eyepiece and filter. The Hydogen Beta filter alone costs almost a much as the entire _telescope_ you’re asking about! The bottom line is that the Horsehead Nebula is a poor choice as a target for a beginner’s telescope. You are guaranteed to be disappointed. Your question indicates that you need to do a lot more reading and observing with others’ telescopes before you buy one yourself.

Here are a few web pages with good information on beginner’s telescopes:

For more advanced information, read Phil Harrington’s Star Ware, 4th edition (Wiley).

You’ll get the greatest value for your money with a Newtonian reflector on a Dobsonian mount, such as these:

Buy from a store which specializes in telescopes and astronomy, either locally or online; don’t buy from department stores, discount stores or eBay as mostly what they sell is junk. Find your local astronomy club and try out different telescopes at one of their star parties:

I strongly recommend that beginners steer clear of astrophotography until they have learned their way around the sky. Astrophotography is by far the most expensive and difficult area of amateur astronomy.

Many people who buy telescopes have no idea how to find interesting things to observe. A good introduction to finding things is NightWatch by Terence Dickinson (Firefly). A more advanced book is Star Watch by Phil Harrington (Wiley).

[Edit] After writing the above, I noticed that you are located in the U.K. I strongly doubt that there’s a site in the entire country dark enough and clear enough to see the Horsehead. My observation was made in Australia, Barbara’s in Texas, the others I know of in Florida: basically the darkest best skies in the entire world. So include travel if you plan to observe the Horsehead! As Larry says, there are _hundreds_ of deep sky objects easier to see than the Horsehead. Geoff G

For a truly good view you need huge aperture. The cheaper option would be via long exposure astrophotography. A good quality 25″ scope will set you back at least $10,000. You could get all you need for photographing it for around $3,000 at the cost of requiring a certain level of skill to take decent pictures. It is not really hard, it just takes time, patience and a willingness to learn. Andrew S

good luck, it’s fun. sd3r