How to Frame M42 – The Orion nebula in Astrophotography

Understanding how to image and frame M42

If you’ve ever looked up winter skies and spotted Orion rising in the southeast, chances are like me, you’ve wondered how to capture and how to frame one of its brightest jewels — the Orion Nebula, or M42. It’s a favourite target for good reason: it’s bright, full of detail, and a great place to start if you’re new to deep sky imaging and astrophotography. But let’s be honest — framing it properly isn’t always as simple as pointing and shooting. So, how do you go about framing M42 like a pro — even if you’re just starting out?

What is M42?

Before diving into any kind of setup, let’s get our bearings. M42 is a vast star-forming region around 1,350 light-years away. It sits in the ‘sword’ of the Orion constellation and is visible to the naked eye even in my Bortle 5 back garden – it's s bright. Because of its brightness and size (about 65 light-years across), it’s one of the most photographed nebulae in the sky. Heres an image I took after driving back from an astronomy show in 2024. Driving up the M6 I just had to stop, the skies were so crystal clear. You can see Orion and the Orion nebula, M42 near the middle bottom of this image.

But that popularity also means one thing: you’ve probably seen hundreds of images of it. So how do you make yours stand out? You can also check out this blog post here talking about M42 Orion nebula.

Close up of Orion nebula taken by Tom McCrorie.

Step 1: Know your gear’s field of view (FOV)

Framing M42 properly comes down to one thing: matching your telescope and camera setup to the scale of the nebula. You mighrt even need to do a two panel or 4 panel mosaic depending on your FOV.

Using a DSLR or mirrorless camera + telephoto lens (135–300mm)?


You’ll get a widefield shot of not just M42, but also nearby nebulae like M43 and the Running Man (NGC 1977).

Great for context-rich shots.

Using a small refractor telescope (around 400–600mm)?
You’ll fill the frame with M42 and M43, balancing detail with surrounding gas. Ideal for newcomers — forgiving and rewarding.

Using a longer focal length telescope (800mm+)?
You’re going in tight. Expect a detailed close-up of the nebula’s core, particularly the Trapezium stars and interior dust lanes. Great for high-resolution shots but harder to track and guide.

Amazing astronomy tools like Telescopius or Astronomy Tools FOV calculator can help you plan the shot based on your setup. Just pop in your gear and see how the nebula will fill the frame. Even tools within software platfroms like ZWO's ASI AIR will give you ideas for framing and they can all be super helpful.

Step 2: Frame with intention

M42 sits in a rich cosmic neighbourhood. Just above it is the Running Man Nebula — a beautiful blue reflection nebula that many people accidentally crop out.

Two common framing styles:

Centred shot of M42 — clean, symmetrical, very popular.

Offset to include the Running Man — adds visual interest and balances the frame. Now to be hoenst here there isnt realyl a wrong way a dn a rigth way to image this beautiful object, it is entiruely up to you.

On Picastro, many of the most admired M42 shots lean into this second approach. The offset composition helps tell a fuller story of the region in our skies.

Step 3: Watch your orientation

It’s easy to overlook this, but orientation matters. Because nebulae have no up or down, it’s tempting to just frame it however it appears on your screen. But try rotating the camera slightly — especially if you're imaging through a refractor or Newtonian, which often flips or mirrors the image.

TOP TIP: On the Picastro app, you can preview how others have oriented their M42 shots — and decide what feels right for your version.

Step 4: Mind the brightness

M42 is bright. So bright, in fact, that it can easily blow out your image’s core — particularly the Trapezium star cluster at its centre.

If you’re stacking images:

Use a range of exposure times.
 Short exposures (5–15 seconds) preserve the core detail.
Longer exposures (60–180+ seconds) bring out the faint outer gas.

This is called HDR compositing, and it’s a technique used by both beginners and pros on Picastro to balance the bright and dim regions.

Step 5: Take note of light pollution and moonlight

Because M42 is so bright, you can image it even under light-polluted skies. But if you want to draw out the delicate outer gas structures, darker skies help enormously.

Avoid nights near full moon unless you're using narrowband filters. Even then, the moon can wash out contrast. Many Picastro Nerds recommend shooting M42 during moonless nights in December to February.

Step 6: Frame, shoot… then share

Once you’ve framed and captured your version of M42, don’t keep it to yourself.

Picastro was made for moments like this — a place where space lovers and astrophotographers of all skill levels can share, admire, and learn from each other. Upload your image, tag it with “M42” or “Orion Nebula,” and explore what others have captured with similar gear.

TL;DR: Framing M42

Match your focal length to the field of view you want

Include nearby nebulae for compositional depth and scale

Use different exposure times to preserve detail in the core

Rotate and experiment with orientation

Don’t forget to share your results on Picastro — we’re all here to admire, learn, and encourage

Want more?

Check out the M42 tag on the Picastro app to see how others framed their Orion shots. Whether you’re wide field or close-up, there’s inspiration waiting inside the social medi app for astro.

And if you’re just getting started — don’t overthink it. Take the shot. Upload it. Learn from the journey. That’s what being a Picastro Nerd is all about.