Messier Object 42: The Orion Nebula, A Stellar Nursery
Donald Srimushnam
Award: Top 100
School: john h. guyer
Teacher: randall dupree
Category: Natural
Photo #21348
Messier Object 42: The Orion Nebula, A Stellar Nursery
The attached image is one of M42 - The Orion Nebula. Located in the sword of Orion, the nebula is 3.4 light years wide. The Orion Nebula is known as an emission nebula that is a stellar nursery. This object measures approximately 7.9 arcminutes across, and is a popular target for both amateur and professional astronomers, due to its brightness, vivid colors, and accessible size.
To take this picture, I used an SVBony SV503 80ED, with an M50 mkII Canon camera, a dual narrowband Hɑ-OIII filter, and an EQM-35 pro equatorial mount. The camera was set to 20 second exposures at iso 800. I used N.I.N.A. to coordinate all of the electronics, running on my laptop for the duration of the night. I also took calibration frames: flats, darks, and bias (to account for noise).
Once I was finished, I used DeepSkyStacker to combine the images, and GIMP to process them. I used drizzling to infer pixel values between those taken, resulting in a higher resolution picture. I then used GIMP to adjust/balance colors.
Overall, astronomy is one of my favorite passions (I even founded a club recently). I enjoy learning and discussing astronomical topics with my dad, the main reason I'm in this hobby. I find it fun to observe and learn about the night sky, and to share my experiences with others. The Orion nebula is a primary reason for my interest in the sciences, which has evolved into a hobby that I enjoy sharing with my peers.
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