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| M42 - Orion's Nebula ©Billy Vazquez @ VAO (Webster, NY) 9/4/2011 |
I remember when I did my first "Big Upgrade" to a Dobsonian 10" reflector and I took the "Little Monster", that is how I playfully called it, outside for a first light. It was a cold winter night but that is no deter for an avid astronomer. Orion's Belt was clearly visible to the naked eye and I remember the beautiful images of Orion Nebula's from my old dusty books. Not to mention all the beautiful Hubble images on the Internet.
Well, some years have gone by since that day outside where Orion's Nebula was a fuzzy blob on the eye piece. Both technology and my equipment have advanced quite a bit since then. I present to you last night's Orion's Nebula. An RGB composite of 7x20 sec exposures over each filter (Bessel V, Bessel B and H-Alpha). Post processed with MaximDL. The scope is my 12" LX200 ACF SCT at f/6.3.
Orion's Nebula is a stellar nursery 1,344 light years away. It is the closest star formation region to our Sun. And its span is about 24 light years across. The 4 stars at the center that are barely resolved are part of the Trapezium open cluster. M42 is an astrophotogpaher challenging target as its stars are much brighter than the surrounding nebulosity.
Orion's Nebula is a stellar nursery 1,344 light years away. It is the closest star formation region to our Sun. And its span is about 24 light years across. The 4 stars at the center that are barely resolved are part of the Trapezium open cluster. M42 is an astrophotogpaher challenging target as its stars are much brighter than the surrounding nebulosity.
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