M42 The Great Nebula in Orion

The Details
Object	M42 The Great Nebula in Orion
Optics	Astro-Physics 160 EDF Refractor at f/7.5
Platform	Astro-Physics 1200 GTO
Camera	SBIG STL-11000M
Filters	Tru-Balance 6nm Hydrogen Alpha
Date	03 February 2006
Location	Aztec Hills near Dateland, Arizona - Yuma County
Exposure	Ha 8 x 600 second 1x1 bin Ha 12 x 30 second 1x1 bin
Software	Maxim DL/CCD, Registar, Photoshop CS, Neat Image 4.4 Pro+
Orientation	Field of View: 01°31'20" x 01°07’30" centered on RA 05h35m02.1s DEC -05°20’47” (2000.0) . North angle 57.40 °; east 90° CCW from north
Notes	Captured in hydrogen alpha light, the Great Nebula in Orion is a prolific stellar nursery of tangled gas clouds and interstellar dust. Just above M42 in this image, and separated from it by a dark dust lane, is the smaller but equally bright nebula M43. In the upper right corner is NGC 1977, which is popularly known as the Running Man Nebula and a favorite of astrophotographers. Lying about 1500 light years away from earth, the Great Nebula in Orion is the brightest diffuse nebula in the night sky, easily visible to the naked eye from a moderately dark sky site. Image acquisition included a series of 600 second exposures to capture the faint detail of the outer nebula and a series of 30 second exposures to bring out the Trapezium area near the core. Layer masking was used in Photoshop CS to blend the different exposure levels and create a full dynamic range for this object.