M42 - Great Orion Nebula

This is the Great Orion Nebula, aka M42. It is the second star in the small 3-star chain that is Orion's sword. You can find it by looking just below his belt.

 

This shot was taken on February 19, 2012, using my Canon 7D and my 80mm Refractor. It's my first properly exposed and processed astrophoto.

 

I shot 10x15s @ 800 iso, 11 30s @ 800 iso, and 15 90s @ 800 iso. I did so many different exposures as I was trying to see which combination would look best.

Done