The Cigar Galaxy (also known as NGC 3034, Messier 82 or M82) is the prototype nearby starburst galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. The starburst galaxy is five times as bright as the whole Milky Way and one hundred times as bright as our galaxy's center.
The Bode's Galaxy (also known as NGC 3031, Messier 81 or M81) is a spiral galaxy about 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. Because of its proximity to Earth, its large size, and its active galactic nucleus, Messier 81 is a popular galaxy to study in professional astronomy research. The galaxy's large size and relatively low apparent magnitude (lower magnitude implies higher brightness) also make it a popular target for amateur astronomy observations.
Forming a striking pair in small telescopes with nearby spiral M81, M82 is being physically affected by its larger neighbor. Tidal forces caused by gravity have deformed this galaxy, a process that started about 100 million years ago. This interaction has caused star formation to increase tenfold compared to "normal" galaxies.
In this project i could finally test some new equipment under a starlit sky. Was planning to do a several hour long exposure but some " technical glitch" turned to dust more than 200 photos... Post processing had it's own problems with Flat calibration being at the podium.
Image Data: Cigar Galaxy (M82) & Bode's Galaxy (M81)
Lens/Scope: William Optics Megrez 102 S.V. with WO Type II 0.8x FF/FR
Focal Length: 571.2mm
F/Stop: f/5.6
Exposure: Stack of 41 100-second exposures (1:08 hours total exposure)
Mount: Sky-Watcher HEQ5 Pro SynScan GoTo (CdC & EQMOD Control)
Guiding: None
Camera: Canon 500D (Digital Rebel T1i) Baader Mod @ Astronomiser
Mode: Raw
ISO: 800
White Balance: Daylight
In-Camera Noise Reduction: Off
Filter: Hutech IDAS LPS
Date: April 15, 2011
Start Time: 22:00
Location: Beja, Portugal
Calibration: 20 Darks. 20 Flats. 20 Dark Flats.
Processing: Calibrated, aligned and stacked in DSS. Levels, curves, cropped, resampled in Photoshop. GradientXTerminator. Carboni Tools.
