Finally got a decent shot of the Orion Nebula after 4 tries

I've been trying to get a clear photo of M42 since I got my used Celestron last spring. The first three attempts were just blurry smudges because I was too impatient with the focusing. Last weekend at a park near my apartment in Portland, I actually sat there for 45 minutes letting the scope cool down and used a Bahtinov mask. It came out way sharper than anything I've managed before. Still not as good as the pro shots on here but it's a huge jump for me. Anyone else struggle with getting the focus right on their first few deep sky attempts?

2 comments

2 Comments

lucas_carr2422d ago

Wait 45 minutes for the scope to cool down? That is INSANE amounts of patience. I get antsy after like 10 minutes and just start cranking the focus knob, which is probably why my M42 shots look like fuzzy cotton balls. Props to you for sitting there that long in the dark haha. I didn't even know Bahtinov masks were a thing until last month when a guy at my local astronomy club showed me one. It made focusing way easier but I still mess it up half the time.

perez.mia22d ago

Oh man I feel this so hard lol. I sat out there for over an hour last week waiting for my scope to cool down and I was literally tapping my foot the whole time, staring at the clock. The patience thing is real, especially when you got kids asking for snacks every 5 minutes and you're trying to not breathe near the eyepiece. And dont even get me started on Bahtinov masks, I got one and I still end up with stars that look like little crosses half the time.