Celestial hemisphere:  Northern  ·  Constellation: Ursa Major (UMa)  ·  Contains:  Bode's Galaxy  ·  Cigar Galaxy  ·  HD85458  ·  M 81  ·  M 82  ·  NGC 3031  ·  NGC 3034
Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Bode's and Cigar galaxies, Duane Melvin
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Bode's and Cigar galaxies

Getting plate-solving status, please wait...
Bode's and Cigar galaxies, Duane Melvin
Powered byPixInsight

Bode's and Cigar galaxies

Equipment

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Acquisition details

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Description

11.74million light-years distant, Bode's galaxy is certainly one of the most amazing targets one could ever obtain from the backyard!

17 subs @ 360 Seconds each    gain = 100,  Bortle 6 sky, 
20 darks at 120 Seconds each, no flats, dark flats, or bias frames were stacked

102ED  102mm x 714 Explore Scientific  doublet refractor (the low-cost essential version)
Orion G26 16 bit 26MP 3.76u pixels APS-C color main camera  + Optolong LPRO filter, camera cooled to -15C
Hotech field flattener (no reduction)

80x300 Orion refractor doublet guide scope with Orion Starshoot(TM). This is an ST4 camera direct to mount (laptop not involved)
PHD guiding  +- 0.3 pixels.     At the 5.2u pixel dimension of the Starshoot camera, this is +- 1.56u 

QHY Polemaster camera and software (for NCP exact alignment system)
Telrad finder (Synscan 1 star alignment procedure used and target located without plate solving)
Hand focusing with a narrow Bahtinov mask
EQ6R PRO mount!

APT Image capture
Deep Sky Stacker
Dell Alienware 8K laptop

Final Edits using
Pixinsight
PhotoShop
Lightroom

P.S.  I re-posted this photo after learning how to use several of the Pixinsight application macros and essential processing tricks. 
Pixinsight is quite difficult to learn but exhibits wonderful results.

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Bode's and Cigar galaxies, Duane Melvin