M42 - The Orion Nebula in RGB
Sun Mar 03 2024
I decided to reprocess this using just my RGB data for more natural colors and taking care to not blow out the core and show the trapezium some which is just visible. Next up, Galaxy season!! I have a nice upgrade to my other set up that I’m excited to try out. I purchased the Starizona SCT Corrector IV to see how it will pair up with my C8 and APS-C camera sensor. Hopefully, I’ll have some results soon.
About this object
- Type
- Star Cluster with Nebulosity
- Constellation
- Orion (the Hunter)
- Distance
- ~1,344 light-years
- Apparent magnitude
- 4
- Apparent size
- 90.0′ × 60.0′
- Also known as
- Great Orion Nebula
- Catalogue designations
- M 42, NGC 1976
The Orion Nebula (M42) is the brightest diffuse nebula in the sky and one of the most photographed objects in astronomy. It is a vast stellar nursery where new stars are actively forming, visible to the naked eye as the fuzzy middle 'star' in Orion's sword.
Acquisition
- Antlia V-Pro Red 36 mm: 300 × 30s (2h 30m)
- Antlia V-Pro Green 36 mm: 184 × 30s (1h 32m)
- Antlia V-Pro Blue 36 mm: 242 × 30s (2h 1m)
- Total integration: 6h 3m
Equipment
- Telescope / Lens: Astro-Tech AT72EDII
- Camera: ZWO ASI2600MM Pro
- Mount: Celestron Advanced VX
- Filters: Antlia V-Pro Blue 36 mm, Antlia V-Pro Green 36 mm, Antlia V-Pro Red 36 mm
- Guiding scope: ZWO 30mm Mini Guider Scope
- Guiding camera: ZWO ASI224MC
- Accessories: Astro-Tech .8X Reducer for F6 (ATR8)
- Software: Pleiades Astrophoto PixInsight
Astrophotography by David Joyce, AstroDavido.