M81/82 in Ursa Major (2004)
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An earlier attempt at M81 and M82, taken in 2004 with an SBIG ST-10XME.
Location: The Ballauer Observatory near Azle, Texas
Date: February 16, 2004 (RGB) and April 7, 2004 (Luminance)
Temperature: 60 degrees F
Seeing: 7/10 (1.4 FWHM)
Transparency: 4/10 (dew)
Scope/mount: RGB data - Takahashi FSQ-106 @ f/5 and Celestron CGE mount. Luminance data - Takahashi FSQ-106 @ f/8 and Tak NJP Temma 2 mount
Camera: SBIG ST-10XME, self-guided
Exposure Info: LRGB image - 160:80:80:80 minutes (10 min. subexposures RGB, 20 min. subexposures Luminance)
Processing Info: Dark frame calibration (no flats), de-blooming (New Astro Plug-in), registration, and Sigma combine of all channels in MaxIm 3.0. Background compensation, Digital-Development and Lucy-Richardson Deconvolution (10 iterations) in Images Plus. Final data combine, curves, levels, and color balance in Photoshop CS.
Extra information: Green haloes caused by RGB data being shot at smaller focal length than Luminance. Deblooming still needs some work as well.
- What it is
- M81, known as Bode's Galaxy, is a grand-design spiral, and M82, the Cigar Galaxy, is a starburst galaxy seen edge-on — the two form a gravitationally interacting pair.
- Constellation
- Ursa Major
- Distance
- ~11.8 million ly (M81); ~12 million ly (M82)
- Apparent magnitude
- 6.9 (M81); 8.4 (M82)
- Angular size
- 26.9 × 14.1′ (M81); 11.2 × 4.3′ (M82)
- Coordinates
- RA 09h 55m, Dec +69°
This summary was generated by an AI assistant from general astronomical references, not from Jay's own notes on this specific image. Treat every detail above as a starting point for research, not settled fact.