M42 - First Attempt

Below is the second image that I took last night. To be honest, it may be one of my best astrophotos ever - I am quite chuffed with it!

Obviously, it's the Great Orion Nebula, M42. It is my first attempt at capturing this wonderful object. I took this as it sat at about 30-35 degrees high in the sky, which isn't exactly optimal. Still, it came out with nice color and detail.

Image Specs:

• Nikon D40 DSLR
• Meade LX200 F6.3 on Milburn Wedge
• 20*30 second exposures (10 mins)
  
• 6*2 second flat frames
• 3*20 second dark frames
• ISO800
• Stacked in DSS
• Mild sharpening in Photoshop
• Noise reduction in Neat Image

Initial processed image below without color modification:





















Image with modified CYAN color adjustment to reveal more red nebulosity:




















Image in Black and White (sort of interesting!):