First Attempt at M42

Hi There,

I am usually fairly rubbish at taking astro snaps, but this shot came out nicely. M42 through my LX200, taken when it was just about 30 degrees above the horizon.

* Nikon D40 DSLR
* Meade LX200 8" F6.3 on Milburn Wedge
* 20*30 second exposures (10 mins)
* 6*2 second flat frames
* 3*20 second dark frames
* ISO800
* Stacked in DSS
* Mild sharpening in Photoshop
* Noise reduction in Neat Image

Any feedback welcome. Not sure how I can get rid of the graininess and get nice, shiny images like the rest of you folks!!!

Cheers,
Phil

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That's a nice image, Phil. M42 can be tricky and it ooks like you have the core resolved nicely. Makes me really want to get out and image it. I hope the winds die down tonight. One thing I notice about your image is how blue it is. I think this is a result of using DSS, as I have had similar results. Is there anyone out there who knows how to extract color when using DSS?

Hello Phil, you have a nice pic there and it is a super start. I am not an expert but I can tell you what I've done for M42. You will need a bit more exposure time to build up the extensive nebulosity. For me, I typically combine exposures 5min+4min+3min+2min+1min+30s+15s+5s to build up the layers like a water color painting. Others will have different approaches. If you can track for 4-5min exposures, that would be great for M42.
Here is an example of a M42 I did with the above approach- my core is burnt out so it is not the gold standard by any measure.

Your focus is a tad soft- have you checked collimation?

Good luck,
Ivan

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