DeepSpace_Images

Below is my first attempt at deep sky imaging. Taken on Jan 3, 2004, this one is of the Orion Nebula. Not the best quality, the Moon was out, so the contrast of the nebula against the sky wasn't great and I couldn't see the object on the camera's LCD screen before I snapped the shutter, so I figure it's not bad for a blind try!

Below are images of the constellation Orion, and of the Pleiades taken by attaching my camera to the top of my telescope while it was pointing at and tracking the constellation and then opening the shutter for 60 seconds.

Like the other images, these images are each acutally multiple images that were stacked and then digitally sharpened.

These images also serve as the background for all of the astronomy-related web pages on this site.

The constellation Orion

Orion is a favorite constellation because it is so easly recognizable. Orion's belt, consisting of three stars in a row are very easy to find in the Winter sky. Just below and not quite perpendicular to the belt is Orion's "sword". The middle "star" in the sword is the famous and easily-seen Orion Nebula which is pictured elsewhere on this page.

The constellation The Pleiades

This group of stars, also called "The Seven Sisters", is visible from November to mid-March. In ancient times this constellation was considered to be an eye test. Each of the 7 stars visible with the naked eye has a slightly different brightness, so if you could see all seven stars you were said to have "perfect" vision. If you could see 6, your vision wasn't quite perfect. If you could see 5 then your vision was slightly worse than "not quite perfect, and so on.

These days, that test doesn't work as well because of all the light pollution around where most of us live. If, however, you're out somewhere away from our light-polluted skies, you can test your vision just like those in ancient times did!