<![CDATA[ScienceDownEast - ScienceDownEast Astrophotography - M42 Orion Nebula (Latest images)]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:33:44 -0300 Tue, 14 Apr 2026 15:33:44 -0300 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Zenphoto RSS Generator <![CDATA[M42 - The Orion Nebula and the Running Man using the SeeStar S30 (M42 Orion Nebula)]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M42_S30-v2.jpg M42 - The Orion Nebula and the Running Man using the SeeStar S30Click on the image to view it at full resolution, then click again for actual size.

The M42 The Orion Nebula and the Running Man Nebula Sh 2-279 are two prominent celestial objects located within the constellation Orion, specifically in the asterism known as Orion’s Sword. The Orion Nebula is a massive, diffuse emission nebula situated south of Orion’s Belt and is one of the brightest and closest regions of massive star formation to Earth, lying approximately 1,344 light-years away. It spans about 24 light-years across and has a mass equivalent to roughly 2,000 times that of the Sun. The nebula is illuminated by the intense ultraviolet radiation from hot young stars, particularly the Trapezium cluster (Theta Orionis), which photoionizes the surrounding hydrogen gas, causing it to glow. The Running Man Nebula, also known as NGC 1977 or Sh2-279, is a reflection nebula located about 0.6° north of the Orion Nebula. It is part of the larger HII region Sharpless 279 and is situated within the Orion Giant Molecular Cloud A, sharing a similar distance of approximately 1,500 light-years from Earth. The nebula is illuminated primarily by the star 42 Orionis, a hot B1V-type triple star system with a surface temperature of 25,400 K, which reflects blue light off interstellar dust, giving the nebula its characteristic blue hue. The nebula’s name comes from its resemblance to a human figure running, with dark lanes forming the arms and legs, and a faint round feature above resembling a head. [from AI generated output]

Total image time was 4 hours.

Moon PhaseWaning Gibbous 76%
Exposure242 x 60 sec
Gain200
CameraZWO SeeStar S30 [1920 x 1080] IMX662
OpticsZWO SeeStar S30 EQ mode [Focal length 150, Aperture 30 mm, f/5]
GuidingNA
ControllerNA
FilterLight pollution filter (OIII 30nm/Hα 20nm)
LocationLower Sackville, Nova Scotia.
Date2025-12-08
ProcessingProcessed in PixInsight.
PixInsight Processing
WeightedBatchPreprocessing Script [ 2x drizzle ]
BlurXTerminator
GraXpert
NoiseXTerminator
StarXTerminator
Generalized Hyperbolic Stretch on both the stars and starless images
HDRMultiScaleTransform on the Starless image
PixelMath to recombine the images
CurveTransformation


Date: December 09, 2025 ]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M42_S30-v2.jpg Tue, 09 Dec 2025 14:20:09 -0400 <![CDATA[M42_HDR_v2 (M42 Orion Nebula)]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M42_HDR_v2_1737484317.jpg M42_HDR_v2M42 from the Halifax RASC St. Croix Observatory.
"The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way, being south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion.[b] It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of 1,344 ± 20 light years and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth." - Wikipedia.

Note: click on the image to view it at the full resolution of the uploaded image, then click again for actual size.

Adjusted Generalized Hyperbolic Stretch and CurvesTransformation A total of 90 min. exposure.

Exposure16*300sec + 5*60sec + 20*15 sec
GAIN100
CameraToupTek ATR2600C [6224 x 4168]
OpticsSkyWatcher 120 mm Esprit ED
MountProxisky UMi20S Strain Wave mount with servo motors.
FilterNone
LocationHalifax RASC St. Croix Observatory, Nova Scotia.
Date2025-01-17
ProcessingProcessed in PixInsight including HDR Composition.

Date: March 26, 2025 ]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M42_HDR_v2_1737484317.jpg Wed, 26 Mar 2025 17:50:04 -0300 <![CDATA[M42_HDR (M42 Orion Nebula)]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M42_HDR.jpg M42_HDRM42 from the Halifax RASC St. Croix Observatory.
"The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way, being south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion.[b] It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of 1,344 ± 20 light years and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth." - Wikipedia.

Note: click on the image to view it at the full resolution of the uploaded image, then click again for actual size.

A total of 90 min. exposure.

Exposure16*300sec + 5*60sec + 20*15 sec
GAIN100
CameraToupTek ATR2600C [6224 x 4168]
OpticsSkyWatcher 120 mm Esprit ED
MountProxisky UMi20S Strain Wave mount with servo motors.
FilterNone
LocationHalifax RASC St. Croix Observatory, Nova Scotia.
Date2025-01-17
ProcessingProcessed in PixInsight including HDR Composition.

Date: March 26, 2025 ]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M42_HDR.jpg Wed, 26 Mar 2025 17:50:04 -0300 <![CDATA[M_42_Light_Clear_300_secs (M42 Orion Nebula)]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M_42_Light_Clear_300_secs.jpg M_42_Light_Clear_300_secsM42 from the Halifax RASC St. Croix Observatory.
"The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way, being south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion.[b] It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of 1,344 ± 20 light years and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth." - Wikipedia.

Note: click on the image to view it at the full resolution of the uploaded image, then click again for actual size.

Exposure1*300sec
GAIN100
CameraToupTek ATR2600C [6224 x 4168]
OpticsSkyWatcher 120 mm Esprit ED
MountProxisky UMi20S Strain Wave mount with servo motors.
FilterNone
LocationHalifax RASC St. Croix Observatory, Nova Scotia.
Date2025-01-17
ProcessingProcessed in PixInsight Screen Stretch.

Date: March 26, 2025 ]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M_42_Light_Clear_300_secs.jpg Wed, 26 Mar 2025 17:50:04 -0300 <![CDATA[M42/M43 Orion Nebula (M42 Orion Nebula)]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M42-20200221-2.jpg M42/M43 Orion NebulaM42/M43 again from the Halifax RASC St. Croix Observatory where 3 of us used different equipment to image this target.
"The Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42, M42, or NGC 1976) is a diffuse nebula situated in the Milky Way, being south of Orion's Belt in the constellation of Orion.[b] It is one of the brightest nebulae, and is visible to the naked eye in the night sky. M42 is located at a distance of 1,344 ± 20 light years and is the closest region of massive star formation to Earth." - Wikipedia.
Cropped a bit to remove some of the visual artifacts from Nair al Said (below). Lots of issues with the image, but I enjoy this target.

A total of 50 min. exposure.

Exposure200*30 sec
ISO200
CameraNikon Z7 [8856 x 5504]
Optics10" Meade 2500mm focal length SCT
FilterNone
LocationHalifax RASC St. Croix Observatory, Nova Scotia.
Date2020-02-22
ProcessingProcessed in PixInsight and Lightroom.

Date: March 26, 2025 ]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M42-20200221-2.jpg Sat, 22 Feb 2020 22:57:11 -0400 <![CDATA[M42 The Orion Nebula and the Running Man Nebula (M42 Orion Nebula)]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M42_light_BINNING_1_integration_DBE.jpg M42 The Orion Nebula and the Running Man NebulaM42 the Orion Nebula and the blue reflection Running Man Nebula (NGC 1977) above
Exposure 180@ 15 sec sub frames
ISO 1250
Camera Nikon D800 [7360 x 4912]
Optics Nikkor 80-400 mm lens at 400 mm on a Sky Adventurer Equitorial mount.
Location Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia.
Date 2018-04-04
Processing Processed in PixInsight and tweaked in Lightroom.

Date: March 26, 2025 ]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=M42_light_BINNING_1_integration_DBE.jpg Mon, 04 Jun 2018 16:48:33 -0300 <![CDATA[M42 The Orion Nebula (M42 Orion Nebula)]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=Orion_Nebula_2018-10-14.jpg M42 The Orion NebulaM42 the Orion Nebula
Exposure 30@ 30 sec sub frames
ISO 1600
Camera Nikon D800 [7360 x 4912]
Optics Prime focus of a 10" Meade SCT f/10, 2500 mm focal length on a Celestron CGEM DX mount with a F/6.3 Focal Reducer.
Location Lower Sackville, Nova Scotia.
Date 2018-10-14
Processing Processed in PixInsight and tweaked in Lightroom.

Date: March 26, 2025 ]]> https://sciencedowneast.com/zenphoto/index.php?album=Nebulae/Orion-Nebula&image=Orion_Nebula_2018-10-14.jpg Tue, 16 Oct 2018 15:30:49 -0300