AP#21 : NGC 1977/M42 and M43
Name: The "Running man" and "Orion" nebulae
Constellation:Orion
Instrument: Image 1: 8-inch F5 reflector with sky watcher coma corrector and a modified Nikon D3300
Image 2: 8-inch F5 reflector with Sky Watcher coma corrector and an ASI 2600 MC (Gain 100 -20C)
Exposure time:Image 1: 16 Five-minute exposures at ISO 800.
Image 2: 10 ten-second, 10 thirty-second, 10 sixty-second, 10 ninety-second, and3 three-minute exposures.
Star Chart from Michael Vlasov's Deep sky hunter star atlas available on line https://www.deepskywatch.com/deep-sky-hunter-atlas.html
Magnitude: NGC 1977 - 7.0 M43 - 9.0 M42 - 4.0
Angular size: NGC 1977 - 40' X 25' M43 - 20' X 15' M42 - 65' X 60'
This is probably the most photographed nebula on the list. The reason is because it is so bright and easy to photograph. Even short exposures record a significant portion of nebulosity. NGC 1977 is a reflection nebula that is actually three objects (NGC 1973, 1975, and 1977). The dark patch in the center is the shape of a stick figure man running, which is why it gets its name. M42 and M43 are the two components of the Orion nebula. M43 surrounds the star in a coma shape. M42 is the large part of the nebula that has the four bright trapezium stars at its center. All three nebula are celestial show pieces and are easily imaged.
