Lagoon & Trifid: A 3AM Surprise

Sometimes the universe gives you a surprise — even when you're just a few feet away from the gear. This image of the Lagoon (M8) and Trifid (M20) Nebulae was captured during a fully automated run that kicked off around 3:00 AM while I was asleep in my camper.

Although I wasn’t far from the setup, I didn’t bother checking the framing once the sequence started. In hindsight, I should have — the Lagoon is hugging the edge of the frame more than I’d like. Still, the result was better than I expected. The CarbonStar f/4 Newtonian and ZWO 2600 Mono Duo camera did a fantastic job pulling out structure and subtle dust, especially in the Trifid’s blue reflection nebula.

This target was a last-minute add-on to a two-night imaging trip west of Kissimmee Prairie. It’s a good reminder: even if your rig is fully robotic, you still need to babysit the framing before committing to an autorun.