Celestial hemisphere:  Southern  ·  Constellation: Orion (Ori)  ·  Contains:  Great Nebula in Orion  ·  M 42  ·  M 43  ·  NGC 1973  ·  NGC 1975  ·  NGC 1976  ·  NGC 1977  ·  NGC 1980  ·  NGC 1981  ·  NGC 1982  ·  The star 42Ori  ·  The star 45Ori  ·  The star θ1Ori  ·  The star θ2Ori  ·  The star ιOri
M42 the Great Nebula in Orion, Dave Keith
M42 the Great Nebula in Orion
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M42 the Great Nebula in Orion

M42 the Great Nebula in Orion, Dave Keith
M42 the Great Nebula in Orion
Powered byPixInsight

M42 the Great Nebula in Orion

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Description

As any astronomer can attest, once you get a new telescope or a piece of gear, the weather must oblige with at least three months of foul weather. I got a SkyWatcher ED80 for Christmas, and last night (3/4/18) was the first time I've been able to put it to use on a DSO. I've been waiting for this opportunity for quite some time. My previous attempt at M42 was with an 8" SCT, and I wasn't able to piece together the mosaic, mainly due to lack of good skies. So it was nice to be able to grab it all in one go.

This is a composite of 10-, 30-, and 300-second frame stacks at ISO800 and 1600. I'm still not satisfied with the stars, especially the large ones with purple halos (my DSLR is to blame), but it's something to work on down the road.

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M42 the Great Nebula in Orion, Dave Keith