More Nebula, Finally!

mountainjunkie · Nov 22, 2020

I started honing in my deep space photography last winter ("honing in" being relative...I'm still a beginner). Ordered a new guiding scope and camera late spring..... then it was cloudy...then the wildfires started and it was smoky....etcetera etcetera for all new moons for the last few months. So last week I caught the tail end of a new moon, wildfire smoke is gone and I lucked out with mostly cloud-free nights for 2 of 3.

Images captured with a Nikon D750 and William Optics Z61 on a Skyguider Pro, with (partially) utilizing a guiding setup for the first time from my front yard in Evergreen, CO.

Orion Nebula:

Orion Final by matt gates, on Flickr

IC1396/Elephants Trunk Nebula. This one pushes the limits of my gear, especially with the relatively limited exposure time I was able to capture (~90 min @ 60 sec exposures, ~30 min @ 180 second exposures guided) but it's a fun start.

Elephant -V2 by matt gates, on Flickr

This is the first time I've experimented with adding diffraction spikes in photoshop...may or may not eliminate them...open to opinions.

PJM · Nov 23, 2020

Awesome photos. Keep posting.

zombiesniper · Nov 23, 2020

Great images.

I keep saying I'll get to this one day...........one day. :biggrin-93:

K9Kirk · Nov 24, 2020

Very nice, I especially like #1 with it's twinkling stars and sharpness.

Jeff A · Nov 25, 2020

If I were to ask a question, it would be something stupid like, "How did you do that?" :-(

photoflyer · Nov 25, 2020

I'm riding that learning curve as well. I shot Orion last winter but my results are not a good as yours. However, I've learned a lot since then will do better with M42 this season. I am envious of your location as mine is out East and in the city so I have to head to a cabin ninety minutes away to get skies half as clear.

What's next on the list?

mountainjunkie · Nov 26, 2020

Jeff A said:
If I were to ask a question, it would be something stupid like, "How did you do that?" :-(

Haha I remember asking that question about some photos I saw online as well not all that long ago. Like anything photography related there are countless strategies/equipment/etc.

Lots of good YouTube videos and other online resources, if you’re really interested let me know and I’ll share some of my favorites.

mountainjunkie · Nov 26, 2020

photoflyer said:
I'm riding that learning curve as well. I shot Orion last winter but my results are not a good as yours. However, I've learned a lot since then will do better with M42 this season. I am envious of your location as mine is out East and in the city so I have to head to a cabin ninety minutes away to get skies half as clear.

What's next on the list?

It’s a steep curve for sure. And yes, living where I do helps quite a bit (I’d say I’m in a bottle 4/5 zone). Even from here the Orion had some significant light pollution to deal with. I also should have captured more data on one target instead of spreading time over 3 targets over multiple nights. Which brings me to your question; I captured close to an hour on Plaeides but half of it was ruined by clouds. I’ll probably make another attempt at that in December.