M42 by Martin Knippenberg and Conrad Richard

Photo of the Week for October 23, 2015

Winter is coming. But the arrival of the coldest season isn’t all bad — many of the sky’s most glorious sights reside in winter constellations. But you don’t have to wait until the chill sets in to see them. Take the magnificent Orion Nebula, M42, pictured above. On late October nights it’s viewable before midnight. And one advantage of seeking it out now is you’re more likely to encounter clear skies than in the dead of winter.

The Orion Nebula by Martin Knippenberg and Conrad Richard — The Orion Nebula (*Martin Knippenberg and Conrad Richard*)

This fine shot of the Orion nebula was recorded by the imaging team of Martin Knippenberg and Conrad Richard on October 18, 2015, at their backyard observatory in Gatineau, Quebec. They used a William Optics FLT 110 apochromatic refractor and a modified Canon EOS Rebel T3i DSLR camera to capture two sets of ten, 45-second exposures — one at ISO 800 and a second set at ISO 400.