Messier 42 & 43 (Orion)

Object image
Fig.1 - The closest large star-forming region to Earth: The diffuse nebula Messier 42 in Orion, photographed with a 16-inch f/4.5 Dob on an equatorial platform.
Object name: Constellation: Coordinates: Apparent size: Visual brightness:
Messier 42
(= NGC 1976)
Orion 05h35m / -05°24' 85' x 60' 4.0 mag
Object name: Constellation: Coordinates: Apparent size: Visual brightness:
Messier 43
(= NGC 1982)
Orion 05h36m / -05°16' 20' x 15' 9.0 mag

The famous Orion Nebula (also known as Messier 42 & Messier 43) in the constellation of Orion. The diffuse nebula is a region of star formation. It is 1,344 light-years from Earth and measures 24 light-years across. It is visible to the naked eye. (source: Wikipedia).

One hundred and four 1-minute exposures (104 minutes total exposure) at gain 0, taken on December 17 / 18, 2023, were added for this shot with Astro Pixel Processor (APP) software and the final image processing was done in Photoshop. Darks, flats, bias and darkflats were used.

Equipment: Cooled ASI 2600MC Pro camera, TeleVue Paracorr Type II coma corrector, 16" f/4.5 "Ninja" dobsonian telescope riding on a dual-axis Tom Osypowski equatorial platform, Lacerta MGEN autoguider, Lacerta off axis system (field of view comparison: image of the moon with the same equipment).

Search chart
Fig.2 - Search chart for Messier 42 & Messier 43. Map © 2024 "The Mag-7 Star Atlas Project", www.siaris.net. Map is slightly modified. The map can be downloaded here.