M81 Group

19:25 14/3/2007 UTC

This time of the year M81 group is high near zenith during evening hours. Weather was pretty decent and light pollution was not that bad in the high sky. M81 is very photogenic and very impressive also visually. It was easily visible in finder scope. The third conspicuous galaxy in this photo is NGC3077, in the upper left corner of the image. The photons captured in my camera sensor left the galaxy about 12 million years ago.

NGC/IC Object List:
NGC3031 galaxy RA:09h55m33.5 Dec:+69°04m'02" BMag: 7.8, M 81 Bode's Galaxy
NGC3034 galaxy RA:09h55m54.0 Dec:+69°40m'59" BMag: 9.2, M 82 Ursa Major A
NGC3077 galaxy RA:10h03m20.3 Dec:+68°44m'06" BMag:10.6, UGC 5398

Camera: Modified Canon EOS 350D | Telescope: Skywatcher ED80 Pro 80mm f7.5 refractor, William Optics 0.8x focal reducer | Mount: Orion Skyview Pro, Boxdoerfer PowerFlex MTS-3SLP drive controller | Filters: Baader IR/UV block | Guiding: Orion ShortTube 80mm f5 refractor, QCGuider, Teleskop-Service 1.5x Barlow, Phillips ToUCam Pro II webcam | Exposure: 45x120s (1h30m) ISO800 f6, 7 darks, 15 flats, bias | Software: IRIS, GIMP | Location: 60°31'N 26°52'E (Koivula/Kotka,FI) | Image Field: 1.988 x 1.492 degrees | Image Center: Ra 09h57m54s Dec +69°17'39" | Target altitude in the beginning of the exposure 78°