Nebulae in the constellation Orion (M42, IC 434, NGC 2024, etc.) and their dusty surroundings.

 Posted: Jan 22nd, 2026
Technical Info
Telescope/Lens: Samyang 135 mm. f/2 ED
Camera: nikon z8
Mount: Ioptron SkyTracker
Software: PixInsight, Ps
Exposure:
192 x 10" ISO/Gain: 1600 - F/4,5
401 x 30" ISO/Gain: 800 - F/2,0
100 x 60" ISO/Gain: 800 - F/2,0
80 x 60" ISO/Gain: 800 - F/2,0
Blue, Bortle 3 zone:
 Novgorodskaya Oblast, Russia
 Dec 13th, 2025
6 h 53 m
318
Resolution: 6881x4915 px
Scale: 13527 KB
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Comments

Great work!
Anastasia, I see you're using the iOptron Skytracker Pro: how do you like it? What's the failure rate depending on exposure/focus? Does it have a counterweight?
22 Jan, 2026 Reply
Anastasiya Tretyakova Replied to Sergeich
There is no counterweight; in principle, my setup tracks fairly well at exposures up to 2 minutes. The percentage of rejected frames also depends on the target's location and its distance from the pole. For example, when I photographed Polaris and its surroundings, I could use 5-minute exposures with few rejects. However, Orion is quite far from the pole, so even at 2 minutes, about 30% of frames were rejected (though external conditions also play a role—wind gusts cause slight star trailing, and I naturally removed such frames from the stack). The optimal setting was around 1 minute, which gave about 10% rejects. Overall, for its price, the tracker is excellent—probably the best for a beginner astrophotographer and absolutely top-notch for landscape astro. But I've now upgraded to its bigger brother, the SkyGuider, which comes with a counterweight and can handle a heavier setup. You can even mount two cameras on the counterweight bar.
22 Jan, 2026 Reply
Great work.
22 Jan, 2026 Reply
Anastasiya Tretyakova Replied to Oeswww
Thank you!)
22 Jan, 2026 Reply

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