M 82 Cigar Galaxy

Messier 82 was discovered in 1774 by Johann Elert Bode, rediscovered by Pierre Mechain August 1779 who reported them to Charles Messier, who added them to his catalog in 1781.

M 82 is the prototype irregular starburst disk galaxy. In the core of M 82, the active starburst region spans a diameter of 500 parsecs.

Tendrils of material extend away from the nucleus, suggesting a colossal explosion. Studies have revealed filaments expanding outward from M 82 at 600 miles per second.

Imaged over 5 nights from my home in Gérgal, Spain.

Technical summary:

Captured: 26,27,28-02-2023 & 02,03-03-2023

Imaging Sessions: 5

Location: Gérgal, Andalucía, Spain

Bortle Class: 4

Total Integration: 32h 28m

Filters:

Red 349x 60s 5h 49m BIN 3 Gain 100 -5C SQM 20.7

Green 300x 60s 5h 00m BIN 3 Gain 100 -5C SQM 20.7

Blue 300x 60s 5h 00m BIN 3 Gain 100 -5C SQM 20.7

UV/IR 484x 60s 8h 04m BIN 3 Gain 100 -5C SQM 20.7

Ha 103x 300s 8h 35m BIN 3 Gain 100 -5C SQM 20.7

Pixel Scale: 0.33 arcsec/pixel

Telescope: Celestron C11 Edge HD 2800mm fl

Image Camera: ZWO ASI 6200MM Pro

Guiding: ZWO OAG L with ZWO ASI 192MM Mini

Filters: Astronomik R, G, B, UV/IR, Ha

Mount: Skywatcher EQ6R Pro

Computer: Minix NUC

Capture software: NINA, PHD2

Processing Software: PixInsight, Adobe Lightroom

copyright: Eric Smith