20211008 - M42 ORI Orion Nebula - LRGB-test shot with the TS140, preparation for later …
What’s in the picture(s)
M42 - The Orion Nebula -
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orion_NebulaQuote: “The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a
diffuse nebula situated in the
Milky Way, being south of
Orion's Belt in the
constellation of Orion. It is one of the brightest
nebulae and is visible to the
naked eye in the night sky. It is 1,344 ± 20
light-years away and is the closest region of massive
star formation to
Earth. The M42 nebula is estimated to be 24 light-years across.
The nebula has revealed much about the process of how
stars and
planetary systems are formed from collapsing clouds of gas and dust. “
What was the experience
Last week, there was only 1 night of Clear Skies forecast (Friday-night), so I had been planning and weighing all week which DSO to image, to make the most of the imaging time that would be granted to us by the weather gods. I already had some practice on nebulae, so I had decided to make this a ‘firm’ Galaxy-night: Fireworks with NGC 6946 and then M31 Andromeda 👍 …. That was the plan 😳🙄
So what do you do when 3/4 through your meticulously planned imaging session, you notice that M42 is clipping the trees again, there is about 1 hour left before morning glow kicks in and not enough time to shoot all the needed rgb for M31 anyway because of cloud delay ? ….. right! … You throw out your carefully made plan for the night, vow to re-visit M31 later, re-position your scope to M42 and adapt your plan. Just enough short exposure subs to get all of the LRGB in, even if you loose some (clouds and morning glow eating away the G and L subs)
Similar to the TS94 test-shot, this is a first take on M42 with the TS140 in LRGB. Just 1 hour of rgb data with some L, processing as LRGB,
Preparation is everything, but being able to adapt a plan to change, is even better … 😉
How it was done
Scope: TS-140 APO (FL 910mm / with x1.0 flattener)
Mount: CEM70G
Camera: ASI2600MM Pro
Guiding: @zwoasi OAG, ASI174MM, ASIAIR Pro
Filter: ZWO EFW - RGB/SHO Baader
Resolution: 0,85”/pixel, FoV 107’
Moon: 6%(+), Bortle 5/6 SQM 19.60
Photons: Gain 100 -10c 300s LRGB 6x 10x 7x 10x
Processing: PixInsight (Mac)
Astrobin:
What have I learned from this
This object is so much rewarding and special to many of us Astrophotographers, one of the first and foremost Nebula that you want to image in the Northern Sky. So, an opportunity that couldn’t be missed …
‘Simple’ LRGB-processing on this one, just looking how far this 1 hour of data brings me, preparing for later this year (exposure time, filters, framing, how to get more of the surrounding gas clouds in) …
Happy with the outcome so far …. 🤩
Clear Skies everybody! 🤩✨🔭
Follow me @astrowaut
Astrobin:
https://www.astrobin.com/users/WCA65/
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