A mosaic of the northern winter Milky Way and brilliant stars and constellations in and around Orion the Hunter. The Milky Way extends here from Perseus in the north to Canis Major in the south. Throughout the scene are numerous dark lanes and dust clouds such as the Taurus Dark Clouds at upper right. The Milky Way is dotted with numerous red “hydrogen-alpha” regions of emission nebulosity, such as the bright Rosette Nebula at lower left and the California Nebula at upper right. The curving arc of Barnard’s Loop surrounds the east side of Orion. Orion is below centre, with Sirius at lower left. Taurus is at upper right and Gemini at upper left. Auriga is at top and Perseus at upper right. I shot the segments for this on a very clear night on December 5, 2015 from the Quailway Cottage at Portal, Arizona. This is a mosaic of 8 segments, in two columns of 4 rows, with generous overlap. Each segment was made of 4 x 2.5-minute exposures stacked with mean combine stack mode to reduce noise, plus 2 x 2.5-minute exposures taken through the Kenko Softon filter layered in with Lighten belnd mode to add the star glows. Each segment was shot at f/2.8 with the original 35mm Canon L-series lens and the filter-modified (by Hutech) Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, riding on the iOptron Sky-Tracker. All stacking and stitching in Photoshop CC 2015. The soft diffusion filter helps bring out the star colors in this area of sky rich in brilliant giant stars.
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.
