(Click on image for full size version)
| Description: | M81 is the larger spiral
galaxy on the right and M82, also known at the
"exploding Galaxy" is on the right. The spiral galaxy at the lower
right is NGC3077 and just below M81, is a faintly visible irregular galaxy
called Holmberg IX. Your monitor may have to be adjusted to show this
object. |
| Exposure Data: | 4/24/2003. LRGB: 20x2m, 6x2m, 6x2m, 6x2m. RGB binned 2x2. -10°C, 2.65 arc-sec./pixel |
| Processing: | Acquired via Sequencer and CCDSoft, reduced and
aligned, gradient correction in Mira, combined with Sigma Reject plug-in, RGB combined
1.32:1.0:1.57 in Maxim, LLRGB assembly,
curves, levels, mild USM other processing in Photoshop. |
| Optical System: | FSQ-106 @ F/5, ST-10XME NABG/CFW-8A
CCD camera, unguided with Paramount ME mount. |
| Comments: | Increased sensitivity of the ST-10XME allowed
short exposures, but still well above the readout noise limit. This
was one of my targets early in CCD imaging. Here
is the older version. |