How to photograph the Carina Nebula (NGC 3372)
A giant, bright southern nebula around the unstable star Eta Carinae.
Photo byHarel Boren(CC BY-SA 4.0)
When to shoot it from your location
About the Carina Nebula
Carina is larger and brighter than the Orion Nebula and is one of the best sights in the southern sky. It is not visible from most of the Northern Hemisphere.
Gear and framing
The Carina Nebula spans about 2.0° of sky. It frames best with:
- Telephoto (85-300mm lens)
- Small refractor (250-600mm)
You can see how other people have built their rigs on RigDesigner, including my Sony a6700 and 60mm refractor rig.
Filters
This target glows in emission lines and also has broadband detail. Unfiltered color frames under dark skies give the most natural colors. A dual-band filter lets you shoot it from the city or with the Moon up.
Tips
- It is bright enough for unfiltered color. A dual-band filter helps when the Moon is up.
Processing
Stack your light frames with darks and flats, then remove the background gradient before stretching. AstroBake does all of this for you. Point it at your folders of raw frames, then adjust the result with live sliders.