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URSA MAJOR - SPIRAL GALAXY - MAGNITUDE 7.9 |
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M81 - SPIRAL GALAXY IN URSA MAJOR (Grayscale)
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About this Object: |
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M81 is a nice spiral galaxy
in Ursa Major, the "big bear." Its size, as it appears
from earth,
is near the equivalent of our full moon; therefore, this is one
of the larger galaxies in the night sky from our vantage point.
Here, the majestic and sweeping spiral
arms show an abundance of hot, star forming regions. Often
seen in images with its famous pair 81, this galaxy is
circumpolar for most of the United States meaning that M81 (and
M82) rests very near the celestial pole, at least near enough
that it never sinks below the horizon. M81 is also known as "Bode's
Nebula." |
Location:
Ballauer
Observatory near Azle, Texas
Seeing:
5/10
Transparency: 4/10
Temperature: 50 degrees
F, -25c at the camera
Date: March 7, 2005
Scope/Mount: 12.5"
RCOS Ritchey-Chretien and Paramount ME mount
Camera: SBIG STL-6303e astro
CCD camera
Exposure Info: Grayscale
image; 240 minutes (5 minute subexposures unbinned)
Processing Information:
Dark
and flat frame calibration,
registration, and DDP in MaxIm DL 4. Lucy-Richardson
Deconvolution (2 iterations) in CCDSharp. Cropping, levels/curves, sharpening, and
noise removal (despeckle) in Photoshop CS.
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