Horsehead Nebula 1-13-12

Friday night, while observing in the Mojave Desert, I decided to try again to find the Horsehead Nebula. This time I had my 13.1 inch Dob. The sky was very clear with very little wind. After much trial and error, I was able to make out the Horsehead. I used my 17mm Nagler  (88X magnification) with a nebula filter. I was surprised at the size of it. It is much larger that I expected. I expected to see a thin little hook. I would say that it is about as wide as the dark nebula in the Flame nebula.  Visually, I could only make out a dark inclusion into the nebula. I could not see any other detail. It was still very faint. If I didn’t know that it was there I would probably never see it. I could not see any hook as Sue French suggests, but I do not have a Hydrogen Beta filter. After seeing the Horsehead in my 13 inch Dob, I have decided that Butch and I did see it in my 11 inch Cass. last month. But it was even fainter. I am going to continue to observe the object over time  and see if I can see it again.