I've never been entirely satisfied with my M42 images, so I gave it another night last week up near Lithgow. This is a very slight exposure blend in PS between two stretches mostly edited in PI. The differences between the two were minimal; the one with details in the core was just a bit "flat" contrast wise so I kept the non-HDR image and blended it in.
Anyway, I'm happy with this one and maybe I'll take a break from Orion next season and start looking at other targets.... but you never know, it's a very inviting part of the sky! I'd actually like to photograph it with perhaps a 400mm (or maybe 500mm) focal length scope one day.
2600MC + Esprit 120 + 0.77x reducer
Some of the background stars are a bit blown. I have some 15 and 30 second subs I might add in one day to get some colour back. Not today though, too tired
Thanks, Peter!
Btw, I had a look at your website. You have some absolutely fantastic images there.
Quote:
Originally Posted by gregbradley
Who doesn't like a good M42 shot?
An excellent image Adam.
Greg.
Thank you, Greg! I think with fresh eyes this morning, there might be a bit too much pink around the bottom left of the core in the dust lanes. I'll try and tidy that up later.
It seems upon closer inspection, there are some other issues. Firstly, I missed a few stars in the core with a mask so they got deconvoluted and now have rings around them. Also realised the backspacing isn't sorted. Maybe need another 0.5mm as there some elongation around the edges.
I've never been entirely satisfied with my M42 images, so I gave it another night last week up near Lithgow. This is a very slight exposure blend in PS between two stretches mostly edited in PI. The differences between the two were minimal; the one with details in the core was just a bit "flat" contrast wise so I kept the non-HDR image and blended it in.
Anyway, I'm happy with this one and maybe I'll take a break from Orion next season and start looking at other targets.... but you never know, it's a very inviting part of the sky! I'd actually like to photograph it with perhaps a 400mm (or maybe 500mm) focal length scope one day.
2600MC + Esprit 120 + 0.77x reducer
Some of the background stars are a bit blown. I have some 15 and 30 second subs I might add in one day to get some colour back. Not today though, too tired
Hi again Adam,
How do you get the brown "dust" trails?
Cheers Kanga
Hey Kanga
The dust is there, it just takes longer exposures to bring out. It's actually a very dusty part of the sky!
You should be able to bring them out with simple 3 minute exposures. I exposed for 5 minutes with these, but 3 minutes is more than enough on Orion. Or you can be adventurous and try a whole bunch of different exposures targeting different parts each time (outer dust, inner dust, core, etc). For me the goal was to expose that outer dust whilst still showing (faintly) the trapezium in the middle.
Then stack your frames and calibrations to get your master image. Take that into your software of choice. In Photoshop, do very gentle level adjustments. Small bits at a time, but several in a row keeping an eye on the black point. In PixInsight, the STF will show you easily, and then when you do your final stretch, just watch your target mean. With Orion you need to find that balance between the dusty lanes and the bright core.
Orion is really a target for both beginners and experienced photographers; it's got something for everyone, and it's still teaching me a lot!
Top Image Adam. Dust clouds look awsome. Are you happy with the .77 reducer , I have been looking to buy one for my esprit 120. Also did you shoot this with no filter.
Yes it's a great (and heavy) piece of glass. Fits very well and connects easily to the image train. I bought the Esprit over other scopes because of the ability to shoot 1x and 0.77x
And correct, no filter here. I was in B3 skies, so didn't really need any. Hardly any sky glow to edit out, and little to no gradients.
Very good, one of the better M42's . Just wondering if the pearls of Orion are going to pass me by this summer. Weather been rather poor for imaging.
thanks LKD Very kind of you to say so!
Hope you get some clear skies. It's been mostly poor here as well, just had clear skies aligning with a holiday which was like winning the lotto. Here's hoping Feb starts improving at least.
Quote:
Originally Posted by strongmanmike
Very nice rendition of a classic framing Adam, the inner/core area has been handled/blended nicely, well done
Mike
Ah cheers, Mike! I know M42 gets done a lot, but it sure is a beautiful target. Hard to pass it up
Those stars you missed really need some attention as they stand out like like warts on a covergirl - that said (& no doubt politically uncorrectly ), I'm nitpicking - it's a very nice image.
Really well done Adam
It was not until you mentioned those pesky few stars that it was even noticeable at normal screen sizes. I like your idea of adding in the much shorter exposures for even more colour.
The dust is there, it just takes longer exposures to bring out. It's actually a very dusty part of the sky!
You should be able to bring them out with simple 3 minute exposures. I exposed for 5 minutes with these, but 3 minutes is more than enough on Orion. Or you can be adventurous and try a whole bunch of different exposures targeting different parts each time (outer dust, inner dust, core, etc). For me the goal was to expose that outer dust whilst still showing (faintly) the trapezium in the middle.
Then stack your frames and calibrations to get your master image. Take that into your software of choice. In Photoshop, do very gentle level adjustments. Small bits at a time, but several in a row keeping an eye on the black point. In PixInsight, the STF will show you easily, and then when you do your final stretch, just watch your target mean. With Orion you need to find that balance between the dusty lanes and the bright core.
Orion is really a target for both beginners and experienced photographers; it's got something for everyone, and it's still teaching me a lot!
Those stars you missed really need some attention as they stand out like like warts on a covergirl - that said (& no doubt politically uncorrectly ), I'm nitpicking - it's a very nice image.
Ha, thanks Andy! You're right, it's definitely noisier than I'd like and it should be. I'll revisit it and see what can be done.
And a great analogy as well I won't ever look at cover girls the same way again... who am I kidding, yes I will.
Can't believe I missed them, it was only the following morning I noticed them and did a literal face-palm. They'll definitely be fixed as well.
Thanks for the comments!
Quote:
Originally Posted by JA
Really well done Adam
It was not until you mentioned those pesky few stars that it was even noticeable at normal screen sizes. I like your idea of adding in the much shorter exposures for even more colour.
Best
JA
Cheers JA I won't point out the other errors then
I'll try and add those stars in when the rest of the issues get fixed.
), I'm nitpicking - it's a very nice image. 
