The constellation of Orion the Hunter, at right, and his two Hunting Dogs and their brightest stars: Procyon in Canis Minor (at left) and Sirius in Canis Major (at bottom). The winter Milky Way runs from top to bottom through Monoceros and Canis Major. The red arc is Barnard’s Loop, an interstellar bubble blown by hot stellar winds from young stars in the Orion complex. The red patch at upper centre is the Rosette Nebula in Monoceros. The Orion Nebula is overexposed right of centre. This is a stack of 3 x 2-minute exposures with the 35mm lens at f/2.5 and filter-modified Canon 5D MkII at ISO 1600, on the Star Adventurer Mini tracker. A 4th exposure through the Kenko Softon A filter adds the star glows for accentuating colour and the visibility of the brightest stars. Shot from Quailway Cottage in southeast Arizona, December 15, 2017.
Orion and his Dog Stars, Sirius (bottom) and Procyon (left), in Canis Major and Canis Minor. Many red nebulas are also visible in this area of the northern winter Milky Way, as well as star clusters such as M41 below Sirius, and M50 at far left. The Orion Nebula, M42, is below the Belt of Orion in Orion’s Sword. Betelgeuse, Procyon and Sirius form the “Winter Triangle.” This is a stack of 5 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.
