The Orion Nebula - Redux

If a particular DSO can be considered a cliché, M42 is probably it.... but, frankly, I wait all year for The Great Nebula in Orion to appear in my skies.    It can be seen with the naked eye, it's a staggering sight in any telescope of reasonable aperture, and it's an easy target for imaging!

It's a pity it only appears (high enough) in mid-winter.

I couldn't let this winter go by without taking a picture of it with my C6-NGT.  My last shots of Orion were with my Meade ETX 125.  While they weren't horrific, they also weren't great.

Suffice to say, my first attempt at imaging M42 with my C6-NGT went vastly better.  I wouldn't classify this image as "fabulous" (not by a long shot), but for a beginner I would certainly call it "great".

Messier 42 (NGC 1976) - The Great Nebula in Orion

There's a lot wrong with this image, from the ever-present coma, to the overexposed and blasted out trapezium and the lack of whispy volume as the nebula fans out across space.

However, I'm also getting more comfortable with my hardware and software.  Nebulosity by Stark Labs along with tutorials and guidance from sources like the Astronomy Shed on YouTube, the Astronomy Forum and Cloudy Nights has been invaluable.  I learn something new every time I take a picture.

This outing has convinced me that an autoguider would be a very useful addition to my toolkit.  So,  I've picked up the Magnificent Mini Autoguider package from Orion Telescopes and Binoculars.  The included guide scope should work well with the newt, but my mak's 1900mm focal length is likely too much.

Messier 32, not 31 (or is it the other way around?)

I have hard time remembering which is the Andromeda Galaxy and which is the smaller companion gallery.  So tonight I decided to image M32, what I thought was the big one.  Which it isn't.

Luckily, M31 is so honkin' big that it clearly fit in the frame anyway (and then some).

This image of M31/32 was created from 4 subs at 60 seconds each, with the camera's ISO set to 1600... and it's definitely not enough exposure time to bring out the whispy arms of this galaxy.  Oh, the arms of the galaxy are there.  If I dramatically overexpose/level/curve the image, the "lower" arm wrapping around the right edge of the core is easily visible.

Messier 31 and 32 (NGC 224) - Andromeda galaxy in Andromea

This image makes me want to get an autoguider even more so I can more reliably track these guys for longer periods of time.  Despite the lack of definition in this image, it's still tremendously exciting to see massive, faint, far flung objects appearing in front of your eyes.