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Messier 42 (Orion Nebula) · March 14, 2026 · Cherry Springs State Park, PA

The Orion Nebula, under Bortle 4 skies

The Orion Nebula, under Bortle 4 skies

First light on the RedCat 71 after a long winter of cloud-outs. Drove three hours to Cherry Springs for one clear night — and got it. The Trapezium cluster’s four bright stars resolved cleanly and the Running Man (NGC 1977) is sitting quietly up top. Proud of this one.

Gear
scope William Optics RedCat 71 camera ZWO ASI2600MC Pro mount ZWO AM5N guiding ZWO ASI220MM Mini + OAG filters Optolong L-Pro
Exposure · Sky
subs 120 × 180s total 6h 00m gain/temp 100 · −10°C bortle 4 ra / dec 05h 35m 17.3s / −05° 23′ 28″
Processing notes

Stacked in Siril, stretched with GHS, star reduction in PixInsight, final levels in Photoshop.