Here are M81 & M82 in Ursa Major, known by the proper name of Bode’s Galaxies, named after their discoverer, Johann Elert Bode in 1774. These are the main members of the M81 group of galaxies.
Messier 81 (also known as NGC 3031, top center) is a grand design spiral galaxy, lying about 12 million light-years away, with a diameter of 90,000 light years. Messier 82 (also known as NGC 3034, Cigar Galaxy, top left) is a starburst galaxy also lying 12 million light-years away.
The small galaxy in the lower right of this image is NGC 3077, which is also part of the M81 group of galaxies, also lying about 12 million light years distant.
This image took a lot of work due to the light pollution encroaching on KPO in the northern sky. I took some data in Key West which helped a lot. The image is still a bit noisy; I will add more data in the future.
Click on the image to explore a larger version.
Image Info
- Imaged from the KPO field in Saint Cloud, Florida, and from Key West, Florida.
- Camera : ZWO ASI1600MM Pro
- Lens: Canon 100-400 f/5.6L lens, set to 400mm
- Mount: iOptron SmartEQ Pro
- Red: 31 subframes of 300s = 105 min integration
- Green: 32 subframes of 300s = 160 min integration
- Blue: 26 subframes of 300s = 130 min integration
- Luminance: 14 subframes of 300s = 70 min integration
- Hydrogen Alpha: 13 subframes of 300s = 65 min integration
- Total integration time: 530 min = 8.8 hours.
- Captured via ASIAir Pro automation
- Optical tracking via ASIAir automation, currently using ST4 mount control via the ASI120MM-S guide camera
- Separate channels stacked and LRGB integrated in Astro Pixel Processor, and processing for light pollution sky fog removal
- Image cropped, stretched, and noise processed in Nebulosity.
- Final processing in Aperture