Orion's Neighborhood
Us city folk learn the Orion constellation as children because the distinctive belt, shoulders and knees are among the only stars we see in the late autumn and winter sky. From the suburbs we learn that Betelgeuse is red and Rigel is blue, and know the fuzzy star in the sword is M42, a remarkable nebula. And backyard astrophotographers learn that the horsehead and flame nebulae flank Alnitak, first star in the sword. Here, some of the region's distinctive nebulosity is revealed by using a Hydrogen-alpha filter, which only allows the reddish color emitted by ionized hydrogen to reach the camera. The large circular structure on the eastern edge of the constellation is Barnard's Loop, which as far as I know is only accessible to suburban viewers through this filtered, long exposure approach.
The Rosette Nebula, a great astro target in its own right, hovers to the east -- to me this looks like a ghostly dog skull accompanying the celestial hunter on his nightly journey.
Tech Stuff: Canon 17-55 f/2.8 lens at 35mm on QHY163 mono cooled astro camera with Astronomik H-alpha filter, unguided tracking via iOptron CubePro mount. 264 minutes of 8 second exposures captured in LiveStacks via SharpCap; processed in PixInsight. Captured over 3 nights, November 2020 from my yard 10 miles north of New York City.
Orion's Neighborhood
Us city folk learn the Orion constellation as children because the distinctive belt, shoulders and knees are among the only stars we see in the late autumn and winter sky. From the suburbs we learn that Betelgeuse is red and Rigel is blue, and know the fuzzy star in the sword is M42, a remarkable nebula. And backyard astrophotographers learn that the horsehead and flame nebulae flank Alnitak, first star in the sword. Here, some of the region's distinctive nebulosity is revealed by using a Hydrogen-alpha filter, which only allows the reddish color emitted by ionized hydrogen to reach the camera. The large circular structure on the eastern edge of the constellation is Barnard's Loop, which as far as I know is only accessible to suburban viewers through this filtered, long exposure approach.
The Rosette Nebula, a great astro target in its own right, hovers to the east -- to me this looks like a ghostly dog skull accompanying the celestial hunter on his nightly journey.
Tech Stuff: Canon 17-55 f/2.8 lens at 35mm on QHY163 mono cooled astro camera with Astronomik H-alpha filter, unguided tracking via iOptron CubePro mount. 264 minutes of 8 second exposures captured in LiveStacks via SharpCap; processed in PixInsight. Captured over 3 nights, November 2020 from my yard 10 miles north of New York City.