Each year the Great Orion Nebula passes overhead of my astrophotography location at home. This target is one of the most shot and loved deep sky targets, and for good reason. Although it appears bright and is a great beginner’s target, it also poses a challenge that many beginners overlook. There is a bright core that is easy to overexpose when you can shooting for the outer dust clouds. I have refined over the past 12 months my processes, both in capturing, guiding and processing the data. It is nice to revisit this target with fresh data each year. You can use it as a yardstick for how much you have improved.

The below image is my latest attempt at the Great Orion Nebula. Compared with 12 months ago below it.

Both shot with exactly the same setup, camera, scope, tracking.