Once I had targeted the subject and realised how bright and huge this thing really was, I wanted more. So camera settings were explored to try and find a nice balance bewteen exposure time,detail, and colour.

Many astro-photographers use short focal length telescopes to capture large nebulas like this so as to fit them in the Field Of View, (FOV). I have recently been working on an alternaive method of capturing such large bodies, using the large focal length that my telescope offers.  By capturing different sections of the Nebula and then combining them into a mosaic to complete the scene. This has proven to be a challenging, but very, very rewarding procedure. A very impressive side effect of photgraphing this way is. a huge amount of detail and natural colour can be obtained. More ionised dust clouds and stars can be captured. The final result also allows for "zooming" into the picture when viewed digitally, and a much larger canvas to be printed if desired.

I am very pleased with how this is photographic technique is progressing.

Finally I have gotten the mosaic to a point where I have decided that this is now complete. It still doesnt fully represent the total expanse of the actual nebula, but it is close to it.
I am happy with the final result. This photo has taken an accumulation time of over 19 hours to complete, consisting of just slightly over 7 hours of camera exposure time to grab all the 24 individual frames, roughly 5 hours to alter and make camera adjustments in between shots, and then roughly another 7 hours in processing, aligning, and stitching the frames together. From the 24 frames, I have only used the best 19. So this final image is a combination of 19 seperate shots stitched together to create the final mosaic.
If I had to invest this amount of time into every photo I take, I really dont think I would keep at it. Fortunately most shots I collect are taken and processed within an hour or two.
The Carinae Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulas in the Southern Sky.
We who live in the Southern Hemiphere are the lucky ones to be able to see this beauty, because as you travel toward the equator and above, it disappears from view - all year round.
The Carinae Nebula is one of the largest and brightest nebulas in the Southern Sky.
We who live in the Southern Hemiphere are the lucky ones to be able to see this beauty, because as you travel toward the equator and above, it disappears from view - all year round.

This first photo is my first attempt at this nebula. My target was what is referred to as the "Keyhole" part of this nebula, as that seemed to be the most inviting piece of this massive beauty.
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"Keyhole" - and central portion section
of this large Nebula
Zoomed in to the Core of the
"Keyhole" section of the Carinae