Capturing the Cygnus Region and North American Nebula Without a Tracker

This post showcases a breathtaking view of the Cygnus region, including the iconic North American Nebula, captured using an unmodified Olympus E-M10 and an Olympus 45mm f1.8 lens. What makes this achievement even more remarkable is that it was accomplished without the aid of a star tracker, relying instead on a Smallrig CT 10 tripod and a clever realignment strategy.

The Acquisition Details:

• Camera: Unmodified Olympus E-M10
• Lens: Olympus 45mm f1.8 (90mm equivalent)
• Total Exposure Time: 31 minutes
• Individual Exposures: 750 exposures x 2.5 seconds each
• ISO: 1600
• Calibration Frames: 10 darks, 10 flats, 10 biases
• Mount: Smallrig CT 10 tripod (Untracked)
• Realignments: Every 30 frames

The Processing Workflow:

The journey from raw data to the final image involved several powerful tools:

• Stacking: Siril was used for the initial stacking of the exposures.
• Denoising: Graxpert was employed to reduce noise in the stacked image.
• Sharpening: Seti Astro Suite was used for sharpening the details.
• Final Touches: Lightroom was used for final adjustments and color correction.

Refining Your Astrophotography:

Astrophotography is a continuous learning process, and feedback from fellow enthusiasts can be invaluable. A key point of discussion for this image involves color calibration. When the intensity of details fades and shifts towards blue, it can indicate a potential black point error, often caused by subtracting too much skyglow, particularly red skyglow.

Additionally, the characteristic orange cast in hydrogen emission regions can be a sign that a color correction matrix wasn't applied during processing. Standard astrophotography white balancing doesn't address the inherent differences between camera sensor filters and the human eye's perception of color. Applying a color correction matrix can help to achieve a more natural color representation. While some software like Siril doesn't automatically apply this matrix, it's a crucial step to consider for more accurate colors, especially when dealing with interstellar dust which should appear reddish-brown rather than blue.

For those interested in diving deeper into sensor calibration and achieving more accurate colors in their astrophotography, resources like and offer excellent guidance.

This image is a testament to what can be achieved with accessible equipment and a dedicated processing approach. Keep exploring, keep learning, and keep pointing your lens at the stars!