Canon 350D Hap Griffin Baader Mod
41x360sec at iso 1600
30x60sec at iso 1600
30x15sec at iso 1600
30x5sec at iso 1600
30 Darks/Flats/Bias (each set of exposures)
Orion ED80 with WO 0.8 reducer/flattener vII
Astronomik 2" CLS Filter

Astronomy Magazine Picture of the Day November 26, 2008

Cloudy Nights Imaging/Sketching Poll DSLR Division Winner November 2008

Anacortes Wild Bird and Telescope Picture of the Day December 13, 2008

Astrophotogallery.org Large/Hard December, 2008 Winner

The Orion Nebula - M42, NGC 1976 - is a large diffuse nebula visible to the naked eye and located in Orion's Sword. The nebula complex is 1270 light years distant, spans 24 light years and is the closest large star-forming region to earth.

The Nebula is in fact part of a much larger nebula that is known as the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. The Orion Molecular Cloud Complex extends throughout the constellation of Orion and includes Barnard's Loop, the Horsehead Nebula, M43, M78 and the Flame Nebula.

Also visible in this image (as is usually the case) are nebulae M43 and NGC 1973, 1975, and 1977 (a group of reflection nebulae known as the Running Man Nebula). Open clusters NGC 1980 to the right (south) and NGC 1981 to the left (north) are also present.

November 22, 2008