Orion’s Magnificent Sword by Jason Schella
Orion’s Magnificent Sword (Jason Schella)

Orion’s Magnificent Sword by Jason Schella

Photo of the Week for April 26, 2019 For much of the country, winter has become a distant […]

Photo of the Week for April 26, 2019

For much of the country, winter has become a distant memory. But if you look west in the fading evening twilight, you can still catch sight of that season’s prime constellations, including Orion. However, it’s time to say goodbye to the famed celestial hunter, at least for now. And we can think of no better way to do so than with one more photo of Orion’s most alluring attraction—its star-studded Sword, featuring the magnificent Orion Nebula, M42.

Orion’s Magnificent Sword (Jason Schella)

Jason Schella captured this fine, wide-field photo of the region last winter from his backyard in Halifax, Nova Scotia. He used a Celestron NexStar Evolution 8 Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope (working at f/6.3 with a focal reducer) and a ZWO ASI294MC Pro imaging camera to acquire the 22½ hours exposure data used for the shot.