Orion Nebula(much improved)

[Mystical Potato Head]

A big improvement on the last one i posted,filter is a big help.
45 mins exposuretime.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/sat5_photos/M42.jpg

[Kenn]

Stunning picture, you'll be outdoing The Hubble one next!

[astroman]

I agree with Lizz - that photo is truly stunning MPH :cool:

Wish they did a version of the light pollution filter that fits my Olympus :~(

[Julia]

WOW, that's incredible! Looks a bit like a big red dragon with horns

[Mystical Potato Head]

With 30 mins more exposure time and a little less pinching of the black point
it'll be an even bigger dragon:lol:
Could also do with about 5/6 20sec exposures to get rid of the over bright center but thats for another night.
This one was done in rapid time to make the most of the 1 hour gap that appeared in the clouds.
Pleased you like it though.
When i do manage to get a couple of hours worth of exposures i promise it will be the last M42 i post
or you'll be sick of the sight of it.:lol:

[jings00]

fantastic :-)

[2little2late]

A big improvement on the last one i posted,filter is a big help.
45 mins exposuretime.

http://i374.photobucket.com/albums/oo189/sat5_photos/M42.jpg

Really am envious of photos like this. Wish I had the equipment to take photos like these. I'll just stick with my Vivicam 4000 and Kodak Easyshare C813. :cry::(

[Mystical Potato Head]

Its a lot of work just to get a photograph though but when the end product turns out ok its worth it.
Thanks to those of you who have taken the time to post kind comments about my astroshots.Its obviously not everyones
cup of tea.

[North Light]

MPH,

Thats just, well, beautiful.

[daviddd]

that's amazing PH! Wonder how big that is?

[Mystical Potato Head]

Well Daviddd,the light from the sun takes 8mins 18 secs to reach earth.
It would take light which travels at 186000miles per SECOND approximately 30 years(30 light years)to cross the Orion Nebula.
The light from the nebula takes 1500years(1500 light years) to reach earth so you are actually looking back in time when you see all these celestial gems.
The Hubble has detected galaxies that are 13BILLION light years away.
With my humble scope i can see galaxies that are 30-40 million light years quite easily.though they sometimes take a bit of time to locate.
I hope to get an image soon of the coma cluster of galaxies which are 320 million light years away,that depends on the weather and whether or not i can find them.:lol:

[wicker05]

MPH.....just fantastic!

[kas]

I think it is a remarkable photo and did not even realise such a thing could be photographed without mega equipment. One question with a 45 min exposure should the stars not be a bit more of a streak due to the earths rotation?

[Mystical Potato Head]

Kas,i use a motorised mount which moves in the opposite direction and eliminates earth rotation,however the mount has to be aligned with the earth,s axis(north star)and this can take hours to set up accurately,the more accurate your setup ,the longer exposures you can take.
The 45 min exposure is not one but about 15 shorter ones giving 45 mins in total.They are then stacked on top of one another.Ican get about 5 mins exposure when shooting through the scope,to get any better i would have to go down the route of computerised guiding where you tell the comp the identity of two stars so it works out where it is,then you go to your target which the software will have coordinates for and the comp will keep you accurately aligned for 15-20 mins without any trailing.
If i use the camera and my 18-55lens piggy backed on top of the scope i can get 10mins exposure without trailing,could probably get more but haven't tried yet.......the less magnification you use the longer your exposure can be before trailing becomes evident.Sorry for the long winded reply.

[kas]

Not long winded at all, it makes sense and the outcome is stunning. Well worth all the effort

[ett23]

Wow MPH what a gorgeous photo. Question though - is Orion Nebula a star or a cluster of stars or a galaxy?
Also do you think you could take a shot of the Andromeda Galaxy? I used to love looking at it through my uncle's scope but haven't seen it close up for a looong time! I think Andromeda is amazing to look at!!! :)

[dessie]

M P H.. i wonder if my little old nikon 2mp would do anything like that,..lol..but truly fab photo.:Razz just keep them coming..i think it would be great if we had a forum just for the sky at night...

[Mystical Potato Head]

Wow MPH what a gorgeous photo. Question though - is Orion Nebula a star or a cluster of stars or a galaxy?
Also do you think you could take a shot of the Andromeda Galaxy? I used to love looking at it through my uncle's scope but haven't seen it close up for a looong time! I think Andromeda is amazing to look at!!! :)

The Orion Nebula is caused by many bright young blue stars shining onto the surrounding gas clouds.Four stars at the center are called the Trapezium so it is a star cluster,emission and reflection nebula rolled into one,not a galaxy though.

There's a few galaxies here.http://forum.caithness.org/showthread.php?t=60301

[ett23]

Thanks for the link MPH, those shots were brilliant. I think stars and galaxies are so beautiful. Nothing better than looking up at the sky on a clear night - makes you feel so small and insignificant!

[cuddlepop]

Kas,i use a motorised mount which moves in the opposite direction and eliminates earth rotation,however the mount has to be aligned with the earth,s axis(north star)and this can take hours to set up accurately,the more accurate your setup ,the longer exposures you can take.
The 45 min exposure is not one but about 15 shorter ones giving 45 mins in total.They are then stacked on top of one another.Ican get about 5 mins exposure when shooting through the scope,to get any better i would have to go down the route of computerised guiding where you tell the comp the identity of two stars so it works out where it is,then you go to your target which the software will have coordinates for and the comp will keep you accurately aligned for 15-20 mins without any trailing.
If i use the camera and my 18-55lens piggy backed on top of the scope i can get 10mins exposure without trailing,could probably get more but haven't tried yet.......the less magnification you use the longer your exposure can be before trailing becomes evident.Sorry for the long winded reply.

Somehow when you explain things like this I understand them,usually its all mince.

I love all your photographs and admire your dedication to your art.:D
Me unless I can point and click lose patiance.:(

[Mystical Potato Head]

Ette23,Cuddlepop,glad you enjoyed the shots.Also pleased yuo can understand what i'm trying to explain because its usually MY head thats full of mince.:lol: