M81 the Bode's Galaxy

[konstantinos75]

M81 or Bode's galaxy is a large bright spiral galaxy located 11.8 million light-years from Earth in the constellation of Ursa Major. With an apparent magnitude of +6.9 it's easily visible with binoculars, a fine target for small telescope owners and a wonderful sight in larger scopes. The galaxy is a striking example of a grand design spiral; a galaxy that exhibits prominent near perfect and well defined spiral arms. Bode’s Galaxy was named after Johann Elert Bode, the German astronomer who discovered it on December 31, 1774.

Technical Details

Optics	Vixen VC200L @ f/6.4
Mount	HEQ5 synscan Pro
Guiding	ST-237 guide chip of SBIG ST2000XM
Camera	SBIG ST2000XM
Filter Wheel	SBIG CFW9
Filters	Astronomik LRGB
CCD Temperature	-5 degrees Celsius
Constellation	Ursa Major
Date	23 Mar, 2017
Location	Kifisia, Athens Greece
Exposure	Red : 30 min (15x2 min) Green : 30 min (15x2 min) Blue : 30 min (15x2 min) L: 60 min (12x5 min) Binning: 1x1(R,G,B,L) Total exposure 2.3 h Calibration: Darks, Flats, Bias
Software	Skyx, Pixinsight

[mikeyj1]

thanks for such a comprehensive description of the process, and great image

[laudropb]

Very nice image and a great write up.