M42and43 - The Orion Nebula/NGC 1977 - The running man nebula
The Orion nebula is a huge nebula located in the sword of Orion. It is situated 1350 light years from earth and is the birth place of stars. In the center of the nebula are four bright stars called the trapezium. The location of the nebula can be seen in this image:
This photograph was taken using a modified Canon T3i set at ISO 800 and a six-inch F-5 reflector. The resultant image is a stack of six five-minute exposures. The image includes both M42, M43, and NGC 1977.
NGC 1977 is a nebula that is just north of the Orion Nebula. It is actually three different nebula (NGC 1973, 1975, and 1977). The take the form of, what appears to be, a man running. I took this photograph with film back in the late 1990s. It was a thirty minute exposure using Kodak PJM film. The instrument was a Meade 10" LX50 Schmitt-Cassegrain Telescope with a F6.3 focal reducer.
