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Near Cotopaxi, CO USA
04:00 am
Canon R full spectrum Samyang 135mm 120sec f2 iso1600 67 shots + 10 flats
Star Adventurer 2i for tracking
I have been experimenting since 9/12/23 on what combination of exposure and iso to use. It seems that a longer exposure and lower iso have been a better choice. Barnard's loop itself is a relatively faint object compared to like the Orion Nebula so trying to find a balance of exposure for the faint and bright has proved really tricky for me. I will have to claim my place as an amateur and I am learning more and more. I am excited about being able to do this with basic camera gear. The only thing unique I have is my camera that has been modified to give me full spectrum that helps bring out some color and is more sensitive to light.
Affinity Photo 2 used for stacking and processing, Starnet2 used to separate stars.
This was by far the most difficult project I have processed. The adjustments were very sensitive. I have so much to learn about processing. What a challenge.
The most exciting thing about this image is that it is the second time I have managed to get a decent pic of Barnard's loop around Orion. And the next most exciting thing is that I managed to include two meteors from a single shots taken that morning of 10/20 that had a pic of a meteor from the Orionid meteor shower. I managed to align the meteors correctly with the surrounding stars in my stacked image. It really surprises me that I got two meteors in my almost 3 hours of pics I took. What a cool surprise. In the last two day I have taken pics using a 90mm and the 135mm used for this pic. Not sure which I like best. Both really.
I also must reference and thank Amr Abdulwahab. Last January he published a really cool pic of Barnard's loop taken from the desert in Egypt. That pic and his explanation have served as my inspiration to take this pic. Thank you Amr. I promise to improve my skills as time goes by.
NOTE TO REVIEWER: I decided to send both pics (90mm and 135mm) in today because I finally finished processing both late on 10/20. I decided to send both and let you decide what, if anything, to include. I suppose I lean towards this one only because I got to meteors in the stack of 67 pics. What a treat. I tried to make the descriptive info for both to stand individually.
