M82 in Ursa Major

 

(Click on image for full size version)

 

Exposure Data: 1/22,24/2002.  LRGB: 12x5m, 10x5m, 10x5m, 10x5m. RGB binned 2x2. -25°C, 1.02 arc-sec./pixel.
 
Processing: Acquired in CCDSoft, reduced, aligned and combined in Mira, 10 R-L iterations of L in AIP4WIN, RGB combine in Maxim, L+RGB combine, curves, levels, bloom repair and other adjustments in Photoshop.
 
Optical System: 10” Ritchey-Chretien @ F/7, ST-8E NABG/CFW-8A CCD camera, AP900GTO mount.
 
Comments: This “exploding” galaxy has a lot of detail and required significant processing (probably way too much) to bring out what I had with average seeing of 4.5 arc-sec.