Bode's Galaxy ... Messier 81
(Click on Picture for larger view)


Added January 31, 2019 ...
Bode's Galaxy ... Messier 81
Messier 81 (M81), also known as Bode’s Galaxy, is a spiral galaxy located in the constellation Ursa Major. The galaxy lies at an approximate distance of 11.8 million light years from Earth. The galaxy contains about 250 billion stars and is about half the size of our own Milkyway galaxy. I took this image Thursday night, January 31, 2019. The image exposure was 2 hour and 3 minutes. Note: There was a lot of light pollution from Savannah in the direction of the target.


The Techy Stuff ... For those who want to know ...
Telescope: 11" Celestron Edge HD at f/10
Mount: Celestron CGX
Polar Align: QHY PoleMaster
Telescope Control: Celestron PWI
Camera: Canon T7i (modified for astrophotography)
Filter: Baader UV/IR-Cut/L
Capture software: Backyard EOS
Guiding: PHD 2 (RMS error: 0.29 ... i.e. excellent tracking)
Light Frames: 41 at 180 seconds with ISO setting 1600
Dark Frames: 10
Bias Frames: 10
Stacked in Deep Sky Stacker 64 bit
Post Processed in PixInsight & Photoshop CC
Seeing Conditions: 8.5 (0-10, where 0 is total cloud cover)
Bortle Light-Pollution zone: 4.5 (can barely see the Milkyway)
Temperature: 39°F, Dew Point 28°, winds: calm
Location: Backyard, Savannah GA



Bode's galaxy is very near the Cigar galaxy (M82) in the sky view. With a slightly wider field of view, you can see both galaxies in the same view. M82 is fainter than M81 and a very different type of galaxy. It's a starburst galaxy, in which stars are been formed at exceptionally high rates. Also known as the Cigar galaxy, M82 is the prototype object and provides a striking contrast to the near perfect spiral shape of M81. Even though these two galaxies are about 12 million light-years from earth, their actual distances from each other is about 150,000 light-years. They are the largest members of the M81 Group, a physical association of of 34 galaxies all bound together with a comon gravitational core.

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