M42 sketch accurate?

[SacRiker]

Hoping somebody can check out my sketch of Orion Nebula -- mainly for verification that I was looking at the right thing!  Saw slight fuzziness in a certain area...but can't say for sure I wasn't imagining it.

[swamp thing]

Can't say I recognise anything in that sketch TBH. Sorry I can't be of any more help.

The only thing I would say is that the orion nebula is visible to the naked eye so you shouldn't really miss it. if the hazy patch you saw was also viewable without optical aid it was most probably the orion nebula. HTH

[Paul73]

Provided that the sketch is of he bit of sky directly below the three bright stars of Orion's Belt. Then yes that is more than likely it.

Paul

[Qualia]

Echoing Swamp Thing, it's tricky to discern from the supplied sketches whether M 42 was observed or not. I've included a little sketch from a 3" at low magnification which to some extent should reflect what you would have seen in your binoculars.

[SacRiker]

It's weird, I'm pretty sure I was looking in the right area, but did not see anything resembling the fuzzy pattern above.  I wonder if the moonlight took away the fuzzy nebula?

[Moonshane]

If you orientate your sketch the same way as Qualia's I think it is quite close. Looks like you were in the right place to me. The moon does wash out faint stuff.

[ghostdance]

It's weird, I'm pretty sure I was looking in the right area, but did not see anything resembling the fuzzy pattern above.  I wonder if the moonlight took away the fuzzy nebula?

Yes, the Moon would not have helped with nebulous detail especially naked eye or in 8× bins imho...'slightly fuzzy' would be about right I think. If you were below the stars of Orions belt, then the odds are it was M42, just totally washed out by la luna.

[RodexMtl]

It is M42!. Im doing the same sketch. I can see iota Orionis, strove 747, Theta Orionis, and over the arrow, M43 and NGC 1975!

[Stu]

That's definitely it, as said it will have been the moon/LP which was hiding the nebula.

This is the matching field of view from SkySafari with the Stars limited to around 7.7 magnitude to match your experience.

This shows a 6.1 degree field which is roughly what your binos will show.

.....and this is with the nebulosity displayed! Under a dark sky and in a big scope, it really does look pretty dramatic, though not as extensive as this.

Stu

[RodexMtl]

If u didn't see the fuzziness around theta Orionis (the 2 stars in the center of the sketch, pointed by the arrow) is because a.- a lot of light (urban light?, moon?). If u can say what was your naked eye limiting magnitude, would be of great help. I see I saw Castor and Pollux, in Gemini. U can search the NALM using gemini for the observation. Right of castor, if u see a third star about 10degrees, forming the "left twin body", that triangle of stars (Castor, Pollux and the third one) tells you that your naked eye limiting magnitude is 3. If between this 3 stars u are able to see a 4th.....your NALM is 3.8. Using a 10x50, with a NALM of 3, I can see the nebula, not naked eye, but with the bins. In any case, the 2 stars in the center of your sketch are theta Orionis, IN the nebula. The two other bright stars, at 6 o'clock in your sketch are Iota Orionis and Struve 747, a binary star that I can see, with a lot of effort, though my bins. At 12 o'clock is 1975, another nebula which you can only see the stars, because of light washing it.

[RodexMtl]

I mean, NGC 1975

[SacRiker]

If u didn't see the fuzziness around theta Orionis (the 2 stars in the center of the sketch, pointed by the arrow) is because a.- a lot of light (urban light?, moon?). If u can say what was your naked eye limiting magnitude, would be of great help. I see I saw Castor and Pollux, in Gemini. U can search the NALM using gemini for the observation. Right of castor, if u see a third star about 10degrees, forming the "left twin body", that triangle of stars (Castor, Pollux and the third one) tells you that your naked eye limiting magnitude is 3. If between this 3 stars u are able to see a 4th.....your NALM is 3.8. Using a 10x50, with a NALM of 3, I can see the nebula, not naked eye, but with the bins. In any case, the 2 stars in the center of your sketch are theta Orionis, IN the nebula. The two other bright stars, at 6 o'clock in your sketch are Iota Orionis and Struve 747, a binary star that I can see, with a lot of effort, though my bins. At 12 o'clock is 1975, another nebula which you can only see the stars, because of light washing it.

Thanks for all the info and thanks to everyone else as well.  I'm going to take another look tonight and report back.