Misconceptions

There are two things seasoned nightscape photographers tell the aspiring beginners:

 

1. Shoot as wide as possible and

2. The best time to do nightscapes is from spring to fall, when the core of our galaxy is visible.

 

And here am I, in the middle of winter, hauling my equipment up a steep trail, hating myself for leaving my Canon 70-200mm lens in the backpack - 1.5 kg of useless glass I could easily have left at home!

 

Really? After hauling it up the hill, I thought I might as well use my heavy lens. I therefore installed my camera on my iOptron Skytracker and shot this 3 panel vertical panorama of the constellation Orion rising above the Swiss Alps.

 

The resulting image proves the introduction wrong:

1. A zoom telephoto lens is the perfect choice for nightscapes, if you can track the sky

 

2. Winter with Orion’s colorful nebulas is at least as good for nightscapes as the Milky Way "core" season.

 

- Astro Modified Canon EOS 6d

- Canon 70-200 f/2.8 L IS USM ll @ 70mm

- iOptron Skytracker

 

Foreground:

- 10 x 90s @ ISO1600

- Stacked with PS

 

Sky:

-2 panels of 16x 50s @ ISO 1600 each

- Stacked with Fitswork

 

Panorama stiched with PTGui

 

Clearly visible are the follwing nebulas:

- Orion Nebula - M42

- Horshead Nebula - Barnard 33

- Flame Nebula - NGC2024

- Barnard's Loop - Sh 2-276

- Witch Head Nebula - IC2118

 

Thanks for all your faves and comments.

Done