Photo of the Week for March 17, 2017
The famed Orion Nebula, M42 (and its companion M43), has been imaged countless times. M42 is one of the most popular winter targets for obvious reasons: it’s big, it’s bright and it’s beautiful. But despite the number of photos of the nebula that arrive at SkyNews each year, I can’t recall seeing one as richly detailed as this portrait by Remi Lacasse. Take a moment to let your eyes roam the full length and breadth of the frame and enjoy the intricacy of the nebulosity, the rich colours and diamond-like stars. It’s a remarkable shot that conveys much of the impact of M42 as seen in large telescopes under dark skies—but with enhanced colour and detail.
Remi captured this image from his observatory in the Laurentian Mountains near Mont Tremblant, roughly 100 kilometres northwest of Montreal, Quebec. The finished photo combines 30 frames, 5-minutes duration and 45, 10-second exposures, taken through red, green and blue filters with a SBIG STX-16803 CCD camera mounted on a 12.5-inch f/9 RC Optical Systems Ritchey-Chrétien telescope.
