Finally got a decent shot of the Orion Nebula after a friend told me my exposures were way too short

I was only doing 30 seconds, but they said to push it to 90 seconds at least to really pull in the color. What's the longest single exposure you've managed to get without star trails?

3 comments

3 Comments

sandraflores15d ago

Yeah, your friend is right. I read a piece by an astrophotographer who said the same thing. They were using a star tracker and pushed it to five minutes per shot. Without a tracker, I've heard the rule is 500 divided by your lens's focal length to avoid trails. So on a 50mm lens, that's only about 10 seconds. Makes a huge difference in the data you collect.

nora_walker5715d ago

That five minute tracker shot thing, my buddy tried it once.

mitchell.lee15d ago

Longer exposures just add more noise and light pollution in most places. The 500 rule is a good starting point, but pushing it often ruins a clean shot. Stacking more short exposures usually gives a better final image anyway.