Colors in M42

Hello people!
My name is Russ and I have attended couple starparties such like WSP2004 and BFSP2004. In Florida's party i had an opportunity look at M42 using Starmaster 20" f/? dobsonian scope with tracking motors. I've seen pink lines in Trapecium area of M42 with no much effort, nice and easy.
Unfortunatelly i didn't take owner's e-mail nor phone number.
After that I told what I saw in russian forum. Amateures astronomers there got small aperture instruments as general rule because of much lower income. Tensions of disscusions are so high, that I was told I am liar . I even got advise to visit a doctor .
Visiting a BFSP2004 I was asking a people about if they see a colors (O-III line in blue-green is not a problem, but reddish - is much more difficult to see). Some told me about pinkish color in 12.5"
I am asking for help from everybody who's interested in this phenomenon. My russian opponents pushing forward that it is impossible to increase photon flux on square inch (or millimeter)of human retina increasing the aperture of the scope. And aperture according to them does not matter because of exit pupil limitations. I do understand what they saying but I defenitely saw pinkish-red colors.
If someone had same expirience and could be kind enough to publish here his toughts and instrument set-up during observations - I will be very happy for your help.

Russ Tashbaev.

http://www.astroxrundel.com

Russ,
You certainly could have seen color in the Nebula. Clear and steady skies combined with a world class mirror and optics, will provide the light needed to see color at night.
Tell them to get a ticket and go to Florida and see for themselves.

There have been plenty of reports of reds or pinks in M42 in large aperture instruments. These reports are difficult to verify, of course, so you may never be able to "prove" to anyone what you see, but you are not alone.

There is great variability in how sensitive observers are to the color red in low-light conditions. I know observers who see carbon stars as pale yellow orange, even though they look beet-red to me and many other observers.

Russ, I had viewed M42 many times from my 8inch scope and really liked the view.

Then I got to see M42 in a 25 inch scope and I was overtaken with the detail and the color, blues and reds(light pink really). I spent a few minutes at the eyepiece and just really enjoyed the view. So yes there is color to see

James

Russ,

Through large apertures (14.5 inches and up) I've seen blues, greens, pinks and "browns" (for lack of a better word) in M42 on nights of both excellent transparency and seeing. The pink and brown areas were in M42's wings. On a wonderful Sunday morning (the Merope Nebula was an easy object and B33 was visible without filtration) at the 2002 BFSP I saw more color in the Orion Nebula than I ever have before (or since) through a 20" Dob that was set up for dedicated binoviewing. This past Saturday night color was clearly evident through a 22" Telekit Dob at a dark site located about an hour away from my residence.

Children and women generally have better color sensitivity than adult males and often report M42 as being red.

Dave Mitsky

Russ,
Vam obyazatel'no k vrachu! (Joke)

I have never used a scope bigger than my 12.5-inch, and can't claim to have any experience seeing colours in M42. I just wonder if some of the impression of seeing colour is a result of the fact that green and pink are complementary colours. At least, this would enhance the colour difference.
I have a feeling of seing elusive colours in M57. I suppose that most observers would call M57 grey in my telescope, the outer part of the ring being significantly brighter than the inner part. Possibly, what I'm seeing is a greenish blue inner part and since the outer part is more neutral, I get the impression that this part has a faint red colour.
Still, I have read many reports from people claiming to see pink whisps in the Orion nebula using large aperture scopes, and I wouldn't call this nonsense. Dmitri's comment about surface brightness, is, of course, correct, but people's colour vision varies a lot. And I have a secret dream of seing the colours of the Orion nebula with my own eyes.

Inge S

Thanks for you help, guys!
Here is a Photoshop version of what i saw in EP. Red was lighter and more pinkish. And there was more blue

Russ,

I have a 16 inch dob. Like others, I have seen colors: a very light green through about half of the nebula, with one or two pinkish streaks. I've seen this on my light-polluted front driveway as well as at darker locations, but the air was usually dry at the time. Humidity is usually low where I live in California.

With my 6" older dob, I never saw colors.

Mike

I too have seen color in M42. Most often green, but sometimes blues/purples/reds. Any color is rare for me (13.1" scope). I have no idea what the exact perameters are, other then some aperture. Individual color sensitivity is certainly a factor. Atmospherics must be. Dark adaptation seems like it should be too. Though I have seen color several times from suburban sky, on nights of exceptional clarity, but where I wonder how dark adapted I really was, as compared to remote dark sky.

Hello Russ, Last night I had my 14.5" dob out and there is a great deal of color to be seen- deep and pale pinks, greens, and pale blues. It appears to be aperture related cause my old ten inch would almost never show color in this object.