That before and after shot of the Orion Nebula blew my mind

I was looking at my old photos from last fall and saw this blob of Orion I took with my stock DSLR from my backyard in Phoenix. Then I compared it to a stack I did last week with my new Optolong filter and 2 minute subs. The detail on the nebula wings and the Trapezium just popped out of nowhere. Has anyone else seen a huge jump in quality just from adding a simple filter to their setup?

2 comments

2 Comments

laura_knight5412d agoTop Commenter

Filter made a huge difference for me too. I picked up a used L-eNhance last winter and suddenly my Orion shots actually showed the red hydrogen gas instead of just a gray smudge. But then I got obsessed with the Horsehead and spent three nights trying to get it sharp through city light pollution. Got a decent stack but realized my tracker was drifting after 90 seconds. Fixed the drift issue with a new polar alignment routine and now I'm getting usable 5 minute subs. Still can't get the Flame Nebula to look right without blowing out the core. Guess every upgrade just exposes the next weak link in the chain.

rodriguez.cora12d ago

Isn't it wild how fixing one problem just shows you the next thing you gotta upgrade? I swear I spent a whole month chasing perfect flats before I realized my focuser was slipping during the session.