M42

 Posted: Jun 26th, 2026
Show astrometry on hover
NGC
IC
HD
Technical Info
Telescope/Lens: Explore Scientific ED102 Essential Series
Camera: ZWO ASI533MC Pro
Mount: EQ6R-Pro
Guide Scope: William Optics 32x120
Guide Camera: ZWO ASI220MM Mini
Software: Siril, Photoshop
Exposure:
13 x 60" ISO/Gain: 101
Orange, Bortle 6 zone:
 Leander, United States
 Feb 9th, 2026
13 m
16
Resolution: 2470x2436 px
Scale: 7898 KB

M42 from a short clear window between clouds.

The sky has been pretty much gone lately, so I’m posting what I managed to capture in the evening before the clouds rolled back in. I also don’t have 60-second darks in my dark library yet, so some hot pixels are still visible.

Processed only in Siril.

Between shots, I was in the car working on GunList - a firearms marketplace I’m building for local guns for sale in Texas - not exactly astronomy, but it kept me busy while the clouds were passing through.

Technical Info
RA: 5h 35.3m
Dec: +5° 23'
Distance: 1344 light-year
Magnitude (V): 4
NGC 1976 info on 09 Feb 2026
14:45Rises over 15° - 16:00
03:15Sets bellow 15° - 02:00
65°Max Altitude - 20:45
19:37 - 01:45 Available - 6.13 hours
Moon Info
01:07
11:32
44%
Sun Info
07:18
18:15
Astronight: 19:37 - 05:56
Add comment

Comments

There are no comments on this picture yet

Comments are available only to registered users. Register or log in to leave a comment.