This is probably my most photographed nebula in my whole collection! This is my latest version taken from the dark skies just outside of Canon City, Colorado on Christmas of 2021. Every year, I capture a this amazing nebula as a tradition, trying various techniques from framing, to exposure lengths. In this photo, however, the dark skies at my location really allowed the faint dust to become visible. Originally, this was intended to be a part of a larger 4-panel piece of the area near Orion’s belt—it still may become that, but for now, here’s this single image.

The Great Orion Nebula is a marvel in our night sky! It shines so brightly, it’s visible with the unaided eye. Look for the three stars of Orion’s belt, then just to the south. The faint nebulosity makes up Orion’s sword. The nebula itself is a birthplace for so many stars, and is illuminated by those stars. The “Triangulum” in the center is a very young group of stars responsible for lighting most of the dust you see as blue. Since it’s mostly reflected starlight you see, M42 is referred to as a “reflection nebula.”

I’ll plan to add more photos to this page, but for now enjoy this one!