Image Description and Details : Messier 82 is the very first galaxy I was able to observe with the naked eye with my old telescope: a C9.25 EDGE HD on a Losmandy G11 Gemini mount. This was in early January 2014, when the supernova SN 2014J was visible. It was also the first galaxy I photographed in May 2017. So it was a great pleasure to have been able to process the data of this galaxy from a much more ambitious setup.

Messier 82 (the Cigar Galaxy) is a starburst galaxy, meaning that it has an exceptional rate of star creation compared to most galaxies. It’s located approximately 12 million light-years away in the constellation of Ursa Major. About five times brighter than the Milky Way, the intense star formation activity was triggered by an interaction with the neighboring galaxy M81.

OPTICS Planewave CDK17 @ F/6.8
CAMERA FLI Proline 16803
MOUNT Paramount ME
FILTERS Ha, L, R, G, B
LOCATION Dark Sky New Mexico, Animas, New Mexico, USA
DATE January 2022 & 2017
EXPOSURES 46 hours (L 58 x 1200 sec, R 28 x 900 sec, G 27 x 900 sec, B 28 x 900 sec, Ha 12 x 1800 sec)
PROCESSING SOFTWARE Pixinsight, CCDstack, Photoshop

Copyright: Data acquisition: Bernard MILLER
Processing: Nicolas ROLLAND

Image Description:

M82 is also known as the Cigar Galaxy for its elongated visual appearance, it is a starburst galaxy with a superwind. In fact, through ensuing supernova explosions and powerful winds from massive stars, the burst of star formation in M82 is driving the prodigous outflow of material. The filaments extend for over 10,000 light-years. Some of the gas in the superwind, enriched in heavy elements forged in the massive stars, will eventually escape into intergalactic space. Triggered by a close encounter with nearby large galaxy M81, the furious burst of star formation in M82 should last about 100 million years or so. M82 is 12 million light-years distant, near the northern boundary of Ursa Major.

Tech card:

Imaging telescope: Teleskop Service TS 10" RC.

Imaging camera: ZWO ASI294MM-Pro.

Mount: iOptron CEM60.

Guiding camera: ZWO ASI290MM mini.

Focal reducer: Teleskop Service CCD47 0.67x reducer for RC telescopes.

Accessory: ZWO ASIAIR Pro · ZWO OAG · ZWO 8x 1.25" Filter Wheel (EFW).

Frames:

Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Lum: 20x180" (gain: 120.00) -15C bin 2x2.

Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Red: 20x180" (gain: 120.00) -15C bin 2x2.

Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Green: 18x180" (gain: 120.00) -15C bin 2x2.

Astrodon Gen2 E-Series Tru-Balance Blue: 20x180" (gain: 120.00) -15C bin 2x2.

Chroma 3nm Ha: 10x600" (gain: 200.00) -15C bin 2x2.

Total integration: 5.6 hours.

Darks: ~50.

Flats: ~30.

Flat darks: ~30.

Avg. Moon age: 26.66 days.

Avg. Moon phase: 9.26%

Bortle Dark-Sky Scale: 4.00.

RA center: 9h 55' 52"

DEC center: +69° 40' 56"

Pixel scale: 0.707 arcsec/pixel.

Orientation: -95.583 degrees.

Field radius: 0.150 degrees.

Imaging dates: April 8, 2021, April 9, 2021.

Imaging location: Abu Dhabi desert, UAE.

Copyright: Wissam Ayoub

Messier 82 also known as the Cigar Galaxy or NGC 3034 is a starburst galaxy approximately 12 million light-years away in the constellation Ursa Major.

Imaging telescope or lens: Planewave CDK17

Imaging camera: Finger Lakes Instrumenttaion Proline 16803

Guiding telescope or lens: Planewave CDK17

Guiding camera: Starlight Xpress Lodestar X2

Software: PHD2 PHD 2.6.2,  PixInsight 1.8 Pisinsight 1.8

Filters: Chroma Blue,  Chroma Green,  Chroma Red

Copyright: Seymore Stars