Orion and the star Sirius, at left, setting in the dawn sky over the Chiricahuas on the morning of December 9, 2015. The orange star is Betelgeuse. Light from the eastern dawn illuminates the landscape. Haze added the natural star glows — no filter used here. The sky is a stack of 5 x 90 second exposures at f/2.5 with the 35mm lens and Canon 5D MkII at ISO1600, with the camera on the iOptron Sky-Tracker to keep stars from trailing. The ground is from another set of 5 similar exposures with the tracker motor off, the eliminate blurring from the camera tracker motion.
Orion and Taurus rising above the Peloncillo Mountains in southwest New Mexico, as shot from Arizona near Portal. The red nebulosity in and around Orion shows up despite the low altitude due to the clarity of the desert air, though there is some discoloration from airglow and light pollution. This is a stack of 5 x 2.5-minute exposures at ISO 1600 and f/2.8 with the 35mm lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII, on the iOptron Sky-Tracker, with the ground coming from just one image to minimize blurring. An additional two exposures through the Kenko Softon filter added additional glows around the stars.
Orion and his foe, Taurus, with the star clusters the Hyades, and Pleiades. Many red nebulas are also visible in this area of the northern winter Milky Way, such as the Rosette Nebula at left. The Orion Nebula, M42, is below the Belt of Orion in Orion’s Sword. This is a stack of 4 x 5 minute exposures at f/2.8 and ISO 800 with the 35mm lens and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII, plus 2 x 2.5-minute exposures at ISO 1600 with the Kenko Softon filter for added star glows. However, haze this night added natural star glows. Taken from Quailway Cottage near Portal, Arizona, December 5, 2015.
