M82: a starburst galaxy in Ursa Major

Images taken: on three nights in April 2005, by B. Lunch, D. Hedgelin, M. Oswalt, A. Rodriguez, J. Taff, and J. Fry.

Telescope: Meade 12 in with f/5.6 focal reducer (f=67in), guided on a 9.3 mg star.

Camera: SBIG ST-7 CCD

Seeing: 3 as.

Exposures: 55 min red, 65 min green, 90 min blue (3.5 hours total), adding many 900 sec exposures.

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This irregular galaxy is at 17 million light years away. In the telescope it appears as a very faint elongated haze. To the right and left of the center, the red glow indicates regions of a breackneck-paced star formation.

Image processing: CCDoops + CCDSoft + CCDsharp + Photoshop CS.