Messier Objects - M43

I am concurrently working on several certificates for the observing programs of the Royal Astronomical Society of Canada.  One of the more prestigious ones is the Messier Certificate with details at the below link.

https://www.rasc.ca/messier-objects

There are a total of 110 objects on the list to observe and record.  On January 29, 2017 I took the opportunity to closely observe M43 and split it away from the adjacent Orion Nebula.  M43 is in the New General Catalogue as entry NGC1982.  M43 is also known as De Mairan's nebula and it is separated from the main Orion Nebula by a lane of dust.  It is named after its discoverer Jean-Jacques Dortous de Mairan in 1731.  De Mairan was notable for his study of chronobiology, a field of study devoted to analyzing the periodic functions of living organisms.  His work may have inspired further study into the circadian rhythm.

At the center of De Mairan's nebula is a massive blue star that will likely go supernova in a few million years.  It is located a mere 8' North of M42 with an apparent magnitude of 9.0.  My observation record for M43 is located below.

M43 Observation Record

I hope to have a better view of this nebula when I visit the observatory and use an OIII filter to get some better contrast.  An OIII filter is a narrow band filter that allows 496nm and 501nm ionized oxygen emission light through.  These wavelengths are emitted by a variety of different nebulae throughout the night sky.  Light pollution is definitely a factor in resolving nebulae and a dark site is typically required to get the best results out of the observation.  Since M43 is quite dim it requires a tracking telescope to properly photograph.  The uppermost nebula in the image below is the De Mairan Nebula.

M42/M43