Why M42?

[Kaptain Klevtsov]

Neil Bone's post has had me thinking (that's what the rattling noise was in Huddersfield) why do so many of us image M42, so I'll start the ball rolling with some of my reasonings. Any opinions are most welcome.

1) Its easy to find for the beginner

2) Its easy to Google to find out what it is meant to look like (helps when you know nowt about imaging)

3) Its big and bright so you don't need spectacular gear, or guiding, or huge long exposures, or a really fancy camera

4) Lots of people have done it before and so can tell you where you are missing something

5) There are so many ways of doing it, from mono narrowband, through RGB to photometry of the trap.

6) Its knocking about when we get the most dark so the availability window is good

7) It makes for some fabulous images, whichever way you do it

8) You can compare yours to a picture in almost any book when you show your mum.

There must be lots more guys, what do you think? Why do we all do it?

BTW I'm not knocking Neil's comments, as a variable nebula would be cool to track season after season, plus there are loads of other stuff out there, I know Rog. pops up with some obscure stuff from time to time.

Kaptain Klevtsov

[Helen]

For me, it was because I'd seen it with the naked eye, and with a scope, and so knew it was good, but would really like to see it better! Now as I know a bit more about imaging I know it is actually a really hard target, as its tough to get the nebulosity while not losing the trapezium stars. Oh, and its just so pretty

Helen

[Sam]

I really like M42, both visually and from images. I will never tire of seeing images of M42 as each image brings out something different.

[thing]

It's pretty and you can get a damn good colour shot of it with a 30 second exposure. I like the aesthetics of astro imaging as much as the science side of it. There's some photogenic stuff up there, M42 happens to be one of them. It's also an object that you can track your imaging progress with too. Plus it's like M31, fills a big bit of the sky but it's a beggar to get right, either over exposing the Trap or under exposing the finer filaments to get the Trap right.

[steppenwolf]

I keep on going back to M42 each season for a very simple reason - there are so many different interpretations of the object and each image I take is different from the last even though it is the same object!

For example my latest M42 was concentrating on the outer dust clouds whereas the one before it was very much aimed at catching the Trapezium area and balancing that with the outer filamentary regions - both challenging tasks that result in very different final images. I have other projects to do with M42 in the pipeline as well, as I say, so many different interpretations of this one object.

There are other objects too!

[Psychobilly]

I kkep going back to M42 for similar reasons and you can even get something to work with on moonlit nights..

[Talitha]

I'm an observer with very little knowledge of what it takes to produce DSO images, but I do know how much we all enjoy your efforts.

Thank you!!

[GazOC]

As another observer I like the fact you can marvel in the nebulosity when looking through a largish scope but also test a smaller scope by upping the mag and trying to get the 'E' and 'F' components of the Trap. Thats not to say the nebulosity doesn't look good through a smaller scope as well!!!

[Reggie]

I think you've nailed it KK, it's one of those subjects like the moon, or m31. I've yet to experience imaging it though, from my current location it rises just too far east for me to see i, t by the time its at a reasonable height its behind the house

[glennbech]

... For me it's just one of those that you have to take a decent shot of, sooner or later. For me it's going to be later this year, but I will do it I'll probably print it and frame it as well If my wife gets her will it will probably end up in the toilet though