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| M81 In Ursa Major This is my first LRGB image of M81, also known as Bode's Galaxy because it was discovered by the German astronom Johann Elert Bode on Dec. 13, 1774 . M81 is the dominant part of a cluster of galaxies which is close to our "local group" the distance is approx. 12 million light years. The image shows some interesting details: The magenta colored regions within the spiral arms are called HII regions. They indicate new star formation. Other members of the "M81-Group" are M82, NGC3077, NGC 2403 and some small dwarf galaxies. Note "HOLMBERG IX" in the left portion of the image (very faint star-cloud), also some background Galaxies visible. Imaging Technique: Image remotely taken using "GRAS-003" of Global Rent a Scope. Instrument: Takahashi TOA 150 (Aperture = 150mm; Focal Length = 1050 mm, f/7.0) Camera: SBIG STL-11000; Field of view: 49'x33' Exposure: L = 6 x 120s CLEAR Filter; 1x1 bin R = 7 x 60s; 2x2 bin G = 4 x 60s; 2x2 bin B = 5 x 60s; 2x2 bin Image size reduced to 50%, processing with CCDStack and Photoshop CS2. |