4 frames w in-camera NR, 3 w DF subtraction

Stacked w KIS 4.2

Photoshop: Levels > Lodriguss unsharp mask > NeatImage

One of my earliest efforts - I don't even own the telescope anymore.

M42 is easy to find in the winter sky. It is the middle "star" of the 3 that make up Orion's sword, just below 3 brighter stars that form the belt. Under a dark sky, keen eyes should see a fuzziness around the "star", and the nebula looks simply gorgeous with just binoculars.

This is one of the most studied and photographed objects in the sky, by amateur and professional astronomers alike. It is believed to be a region of active stellar formation, with new stars created from collapsing clouds of dusts and gases. At an estimated distance of 1600 light-years , it is probably the closest stellar nursery from us.