Key takeaways
- Orion, the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades are bright enough to find by eye and to photograph with an iPhone on a tripod.
- From Finland the Orion Nebula stays low, between about 18 and 24 degrees, while the Pleiades climb much higher.
- A wide lens shows the whole of Orion, and a longer lens shows the Orion Nebula as a pink smudge.
- Cold is the enemy of the winter night sky: keep the battery warm and the lens free of frost.
Finding Orion in the winter night sky
Orion is the easiest constellation to recognise in the winter night sky. Look south on a clear evening from late autumn to early spring for three bright stars in a short row: the belt. Red Betelgeuse marks one shoulder and blue-white Rigel one foot.
Hanging below the belt is the sword, and in the middle of the sword is the Orion Nebula, a glowing cloud of gas where new stars are being born. It is about 1,344 light years away, and even a phone can record its soft pink glow.
The Pleiades, a tight group of blue stars to the upper right of Orion, are the second reward of the winter night sky. They sit about 440 light years away and look like a small dipper.
How high do they climb from Finland?
Altitude matters, because a low target sits in thicker, hazier air. The table gives the highest altitude each target reaches when it crosses due south, from the simple rule: 90 degrees minus your latitude plus the declination of the target.
| Target | Helsinki | Oulu | Rovaniemi |
|---|---|---|---|
| Orion Nebula | 24 | 20 | 18 |
| Betelgeuse | 37 | 32 | 31 |
| Pleiades | 54 | 49 | 48 |
| Sirius | 13 | 8 | 7 |
The Pleiades are a gift in the north, and the Orion Nebula is a patient target. Find a clear southern horizon and shoot when Orion is at its highest, around the middle of the evening in midwinter. If you wonder why some targets never rise at all, read why the bright heart of the Milky Way hides from Finland.
iPhone settings for Orion and the Pleiades
Use a tripod, the self-timer and manual focus on a bright star such as Rigel. These are good starting points for the winter night sky.
| Target | Lens | ISO | Exposure time | Expect |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole of Orion | 1x | 1600 to 3200 | 10 to 15 s | Belt, shoulders, a faint nebula glow |
| Orion Nebula | 2x or telephoto | 1600 to 3200 | 5 to 10 s | A small pink smudge below the belt |
| Pleiades | 2x or telephoto | 1600 | 5 to 10 s | Blue stars with a hint of haze |
Do not be disappointed by a small result. The Orion Nebula is only a few percent of the width of a telephoto frame, so crop it, and stack several frames, as described in why a hundred frames beat one.
Keeping warm in the winter night sky
Phone batteries drain quickly in the cold. Keep the phone in an inside pocket until you shoot, bring a power bank, and dim the screen. Use a red light, as explained in what red light does for your eyes, so your night vision survives. Wipe the lens often, because frost and dew will soften every star.
Dress for twice as long as you plan to stay. A cold photographer rushes, and a rushed test frame is how the best winter night sky evenings are wasted.
Frequently asked questions
When is the best time to photograph the Orion Nebula?
From December to February, when Orion is high in the south in the evening. In Finland the Orion Nebula never climbs higher than about 24 degrees.
Can an iPhone photograph the Orion Nebula?
Yes, as a small pink smudge. Use a telephoto lens, a tripod, manual focus and an exposure of 5 to 10 seconds, then crop and stack the frames.
Where are the Pleiades in the winter night sky?
To the upper right of Orion, about a fist-width above the red star Aldebaran. They look like a small dipper of blue stars.
What lens is best for the winter night sky?
A wide lens for Orion as a whole, and a 2x or telephoto lens for the Orion Nebula and the Pleiades.
Sources and further reading
AstroNight is now on the App Store. The free planner and coach for astrophotography works on iPhone and iPad with iOS 17 or later, offline, with no account. Get it on the App Store.
