Monday, Jan 20, 2025

maging telescope / lens : Sky-Watcher Reflector 300mm/1200 mm quattro Imaging camera : ZWO Optical asi 2600 mc (CMOS) MountEquatorial : Sky-Watcher CQ350 PRO Guiding camera : ZWO Optical ASI 120 MM Accessories: Coma corrector Sky-WatcherOff-axis guider ZWO Optical acquisition : ZWO asi air plus Processed withPixInsight (Pleiades Astrophoto) Date Sun Dec 29th 2024 Moon Age 27.5 Days Moon Phase Waning Crescent Moon Moon Illumination 4% Angular distance to the Moon 120.6º Location Montemaggio Savignone (GE) Italy Lights (filter Luminance) 55 x 600 sec Total lights integration time 9:10 hours Seeing 4 / 5 Transparency 4 / 5 Sky darkness (Bortle scale) 4 Ambient Temperature 6.0 ºC Camera Sensor Temperature -15.0 ºC Gain 100 Messier 81, also known as NGC 3031 and Bode's Galaxy, is a beautiful spiral galaxy located 12 Million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major. It was first discovered by Johann Elert Bode on 31 December 1774, thus the common name of Bode's Galaxy. M81 is the largest galaxy in a group of 34 galaxies, known appropriately enough as the M81 Group. Messier 82, also known as the NGC 3034 and as the Cigar Galaxy, and is also located 12 million light-years away and is part of the M81 group of galaxies. M82 is an extremely luminous galaxy - being five times brighter than our own Milky Way, and has a core that is 100 times brighter! This is due to intense star formation caused by gravitational perturbations from interactions with M81. M82 is known for its complex network of dusty filaments that extend to the side of the galaxy.