M42 on AstroT3k

Orion — Wide‑field of the Belt and Sword

Tue, 20 Jan 2026 21:00:00 +0100

The constellation of Orion offers one of the richest wide‑field scenes in the winter sky. This image frames both the Belt (the bright asterism of Alnitak, Alnilam and Mintaka) and the Sword hanging below, with glowing hydrogen clouds and bluish reflection nebulae woven throughout the Orion Molecular Cloud Complex. Amid the Sword sits the famous Orion Nebula (M42), while to the east of the Belt star Alnitak stretches the red emission strip IC 434 with the dark Horsehead silhouette in front of it, and the compact reflection patch IC 435 nearby. The field is permeated by faint dust and H II regions sculpted by massive, young stars.

At the heart of the Sword, the Orion Nebula (M42) is a massive star‑forming region roughly 1,350 light‑years away, where the Trapezium cluster carves a bright cavity in the surrounding gas. North of M42 lies NGC 1977 (the “Running Man” reflection nebula), while much farther north‑east of the frame the giant Barnard’s Loop traces a faint arc of ionised hydrogen encircling Orion. The Belt itself is dominated by hot O‑ and B‑type stars; at its eastern end, Alnitak illuminates the dusty IC 434 Horsehead region together with the bright Flame Nebula (NGC 2024). IC 435, a small reflection nebula adjacent to Sigma Orionis, adds a cool, bluish contrast to the red glow of hydrogen.

The three Belt stars themselves are a study in extremes. Alnitak (ζ Ori) is a hot O‑type supergiant in a multiple system whose fierce ultraviolet radiation excites the Flame Nebula and the IC 434 emission layer; Alnilam (ε Ori) is a luminous blue supergiant whose powerful wind drapes nearby dust with a cool sheen; Mintaka (δ Ori) is a compact multiple of O‑ and B‑type components anchoring the Belt’s western end. Together they ionise and illuminate the intricate mixture of emission, reflection and dark nebulae that thread this field.

From mid‑northern latitudes Orion culminates high in the south between December and February, offering dark‑sky opportunities when weather allows. In binoculars the Belt and Sword are easily recognised, with M42 already distinct as a fuzzy core; small telescopes begin to resolve the Trapezium. Wide‑angle lenses and short telephotos (70–135 mm) excel at capturing the Belt‑and‑Sword composition, revealing the interplay between emission glow and reflection dust. Longer integrations under Bortle 5 skies help bring out the dimmer filaments and dark lanes that stitch the scene together.


Telescope	Canon 70–300 mm lens
Mount	Motorised EQ3‑2
Camera	Canon 600D (astro‑mod)
Exposure	81 × 61s (1h 22min)
Bortle	5
Moon	Waxing crescent (3.1%)
Processing	Siril, Prism Deep, Axiom v2

M42 — Orion Nebula

Thu, 30 Oct 2025 21:00:00 +0100

M42, the Orion Nebula, is one of the sky’s brightest and most photographed star‑forming regions. Located in the Sword of Orion about 1,350 light‑years away, it is a vast H II region where newborn, massive stars sculpt the surrounding gas and dust. In long exposures the nebula spans well over half a degree, with a luminous core fading into soft, wing‑like outer clouds.

At its heart lies the Trapezium, a compact group of hot O‑ and B‑type stars whose intense ultraviolet radiation ionises the nebula and makes it glow. Turbulent flows, shock fronts and dark lanes thread the scene; subtle colour differences trace different physical conditions — from pinkish hydrogen emission to bluish reflection from fine dust.

Visually, M42 is a rewarding target even from suburban skies. To the unaided eye under darker conditions it appears as a faint patch around the middle star of Orion’s Sword; standard binoculars already show a fan‑shaped glow. Small telescopes reveal the four main Trapezium stars and hints of texture; with increasing aperture and steady air the nebula’s curving wings and internal filaments become increasingly detailed. The best season to observe is the northern winter, when Orion rides high in the evening sky.

The Orion Nebula is embedded in a much larger complex — the Orion Molecular Cloud. Just north lies M43, separated from M42 by a dark dust lane, and above that the reflection nebula NGC 1977 (the “Running Man”). On a grander scale, the luminous arcs of Barnard’s Loop sweep around the region, testifying to past episodes of massive star formation and feedback.


Telescope	SkyWatcher 150/750P
Mount	motorised EQ3-2
Camera	Canon 600D (astro-mod)
Filters	Astronomik UHC 2"
Exposure	91 × 45s (1h 8min)
Bortle	5
Moon	Waxing gibbous (59.3%)
Processing	Siril, Prism Deep, CosmicClarity, Gimp

The Beginning

Fri, 04 Apr 2025 21:00:00 +0100

About my first astrophotograph

For my first post I decided to tell the story of my first astrophotograph. It all began a long time ago — at the turn of March and April 1997.

As a child, I went out with our dog for an evening walk. It was dark, the sky was cloudless. At one point I looked up and saw a strange object. I quickly realised it was a comet. As soon as I got back home, I grabbed my small pair of binoculars and ran back out to observe the phenomenon. A few days later I learned from the news that it was Comet Hale–Bopp, hailed as the Great Comet of 1997.

It was discovered on 23 July 1995, and in March 1997 it passed perihelion — the point of its orbit closest to the Sun. It was visible to the naked eye. It made a huge impression on me, but it still didn’t make me take up astronomy back then. I knew the basics — I could find Ursa Major and Ursa Minor, and the North Star — and I would sometimes try to catch the Perseids meteor shower.

Only in 2024, during the passage of Comet C/2023 A3 (Tsuchinshan–ATLAS), towards the end of its good visibility, did I decide to show it to my children — such an event doesn’t happen often. The childhood memory of Hale–Bopp came back, and that’s when I decided to buy a telescope to observe more of the cosmos around us. I did so on 17 October 2024. I chose a Sky‑Watcher Newtonian with a 150 mm aperture and a 750 mm focal length, one of the recommended beginner setups, on an EQ3‑2 equatorial mount. At first I managed to make several observations of the comet. November and December are a difficult time for astronomy in Poland — in 2025, throughout November and until mid‑December there were no clear nights.

The first deep‑sky photo came on 4 April 2025, after 21:00 — if I remember correctly. After a few visual observing sessions in January and February, I wanted to see whether, with the gear I had, I could take any sort of astrophoto. At that time of year the Orion Nebula (M42) sits fairly low, but it’s an easy target to locate, even with ordinary binoculars.

I used my old Canon 1000D DSLR. The mount wasn’t suited to astrophotography — for longer exposures you need a tracking drive to follow the apparent motion of the stars. Aware of the gear’s limitations, I recorded 60 frames at 1 s each so the stars wouldn’t trail. I processed them in the free programme Siril. The result? Perhaps not the best, but it’s a very important photo to me.