Finally caught the Orion Nebula after 3 tries at Great Basin

Last Thursday I drove out to Great Basin National Park in Nevada with my old Dobsonian scope and finally got a decent shot of M42. I've been trying for a month but kept getting clouded out or letting light pollution from my truck ruin the long exposures. The details in the dust lanes popped way more than I expected, even with just a smartphone adapter and manual tracking. Anyone else find that a dark sky location makes a bigger difference than gear upgrades?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean8541mo ago

I read somewhere that Great Basin is one of the darkest spots left in the lower 48, like Bortle class 1 or 2. That explains it. I drove out to Cherry Springs in PA once with my 8 inch dob and a cheap svbony lens, and the view of the Veil Nebula with just an OIII filter was ridiculous. Gear helps but clear dark air is the real upgrade. My buddy spent 3 grand on a fancy rig and still gets washed out from his backyard in the suburbs.

jamief671mo ago

Man, that totally flipped my thinking on what actually matters for viewing.

foster.jordan1mo ago

But @jamief67, doesn't an 8 inch dob in a bortle 2 crush most big scopes in a city backyard?